Winter Movie Draft, The Walking Dead (601 & 602), Fargo (204), The Leftovers (206), The Shield (713)
01:19 – Winter Movie Draft
06:18 – The Walking Dead (601 & 602)
16:54 – Fargo (204)
25:17 – The Leftovers (206)
33:49 – The Shield (713)
Today in Tech History – November 11, 2015
In 1675 – Gottfried Leibniz demonstrated integral calculus for the first time to find the area under the graph of good ol y=f(x). That is, if you believe what he wrote in his notebooks.
In 1930 – Albert Einstein, yes that Albert Einstein, and Leo Szilard received a US patent for a refrigerator that required no electricity, just a heat source. Electrolux bought up the patents.
In 2006 – The Sony PS3 went on sale with a built-in Blu-ray player and hard drive.
Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
#234 – We Think We Know How Game Of Thrones Ends
George R R Martin will only say that Game of Thrones will end in a bittersweet way. We’re pretty sure we know what that means. Also Chinese Nebula Award winners and our first impressions of Time and Again by Jack Finney.
DTNS 2621 – Under WordPressure
25% of the web runs on WordPress according to one estimate. Patrick Beja and Tom Merritt talk about what that means for the Web, open source, and more.
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Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.
If you are willing to support the show or give as little as 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!
Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!
Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit
Show Notes
To read the show notes in a separate page click here!
Today in Tech History – November 10, 2015
In 1983 – Fred Cohen demonstrated a way to insert code into a Unix command in order to gain control of systems. His academic adviser, Len Adelman (the A in RSA) compared the self-replicating code to a virus. It wasn’t the first code of it’s kind, but it’s the one that inspired the name.
In 1983 – At the plaza hotel in New York, Bill Gates announced Windows. It originally was called Interface Manager until Rowland Hanson convinced Gates to change the name. It would take two years before Microsoft would put it on sale.
In 2001 – The first Apple iPod went on sale. Analysts agreed that the price of $399 was too high, and Apple was too inexperienced in consumer electronics to make it a success.
Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Cordkillers 95 – Too Much TV
Should TV networks hold back content from Netflix? Netflix says there’s not enough TV. Time Warner wants to reduce commercials.
CordKillers: 95 – Too Much TV
Recorded: November 9, 2015
Guest: Lamarr Wilson
Intro Video
Primary Target
- TV Studios Plan to Cut Back on Netflix, Digital Subscription Sales
- Time Warner Says It Will Hold Back Shows From Netflix, Other SVOD
- Time Warner plans to win back cord cutters by showing fewer ads
– Peter Kafka at ReCode reports TV execs signaling they will stoff selling best stuff to digital services, netflix in particular
– 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch September changing “business rules”
– Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes: “[undercut] yourself by having somebody else pay a fraction of the cost and create a better inventory on the various shows you yourself invented.”
— Also said may retain rights longer delay/forego licensing
– Discovery CEO David Zaslav: “It’s just not rational that all of us in the content business sold our content to a distributor and have allowed that distributor to gain so much share and offer it without our brands.”
— May make them ONLY available on cable VOD “Tv Everywhere”
– Another reason CBS ALL Access got Star Trek
– Netflix to shareholders last month: “Some studios will choose to license content to SVOD services like Hulu, Amazon – – – Prime Instant Video and Netflix. Others may not,”
– Netflix point out show’s creators/producers want to make sure the show has been maximizing money
– Time Warner networks will cut down commercial inventory
– HBO, movies and games all strong
– Turner revenue declined
– will reduce ad load starting with younger-skewing nets like TruTV
– From 18-19 minutes all the way to 10-11 per hour
– Said would have little to no impact on revenue
Signal Intelligence
- Netflix CEO: Actually, There’s “Not Nearly Enough” TV
- Netflix’s short episodes helps parents negotiate kids’ bedtime
- Netflix will produce original Bollywood and anime programs
– FX CEO John Landgraf over the summer: “simply too much television.”
– At NYTImes DealBook conf last week Reed Hastings: “He’s wrong. There’s not nearly enough.”
– Consumer spending on entertainment, which he said has been “growing faster than disposable income for decades.”
– “We need to go beyond the normal spectrum to get quality,” he said. “I’m hopeful that over time we can make a great Bollywood show, that we can make a great anime show.”
– Hastings said TV Everywhere that brings network content to multiple devices is what he’s always been “most scared of”
“The big system has to figure out TV everywhere.”
– Netflix Notes: Dinotrux 5 Minute Favorites series features three short episodes based on Dreamworks’ popular Netflix show, that give kids their final fix of TV for the day in a small dose before bed.
Gear Up
- Plex comes to the new Apple TV for free
- Sling TV now works with Google’s Chromecast
– Prepay 3 months get a free chromecast
– Chromecast owners can get a free 2-month trial for new customers - First update for Apple TV comes along
Front Lines
- Sony’s PlayStation Vue picks up ESPN, Disney, and ABC in huge content deal
– Disney announced a deal bringing ESPN, the Disney Channel, ABC, and ABC Family to the PlayStation Vue service. All ESPN-related channels will be included. Local ABC affiliates may opt in as well for live programming. No word on when or if it will add to the $50 a month price. - Fox Shows On Hulu Will Offer Reduced, Only 30-Second-Long Ad Option
– Hulu subscribers on tiers that still see ads can choose to have an interactive ad that gets rid of ad breaks in exchange for interacting with one 30-second ad. The ad comes at the beginning but can also be chosen during the first ad break or when the user presses pause. These engagement ads are more expensive than traditional ads and will only be available on current season shows when an advertiser has bought one. They are launching on Web and mobile but will eventually be on all Hulu apps. - Vice’s cable channel, Viceland, will launch February 2016
– Our emailer from last week was right. Vice and A&E announced they will launch the channel Viceland in February 2016. Spike Jonze oversees Gaycation with Ellen Page and Portraits with Marc Maron, as well as versions of its YouTube shows. No waiting period between Web and TV for shows either. It will replace H2 on lineups. - NewsON Brings Your Local News Stations To iOS, Android And Roku
– NewsOn has launched offering local news for subscribers on iOS, Android, and Roku. Backed by TV stations it will offer local news coverage from 118 stations in 90 markets which NewsON says is about 75% of the US. - Tidal has decided to get into original TV shows
– Music service Tidal will now offer some original TV shows. No Small Talk is a half-hour stand-up comedy show, comprised of five episodes and hosted by Cipha Sounds which premiered November 3rd. And the second season of YouTube series Money & Violence, which is about a group of criminals living in Brooklyn, created by and starring Moise Verneau. That one is on Tidal for a week exclusvie before coming to YouTube. - Jon Stewart has signed a four-year contract with HBO
– HBO announced that Jon Stewart has signed a four-year production deal to focus on short-form digital content meant for HBO Go and HBO Now, with the possibility of making other film and TV programs. Stewart’s job will be to “view current events through his unique prism.”
Under Surveillance
- Netflix jumps into true-crime documentaries with Making a Murderer
– Netflix announced a 10-part series called Making a Murderer Directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, about Steven Avery, who served 18 years for a crime DNA evidence later indicated he had not committed then became a suspect in a new murder case. A 2-episode preview comes Friday Nov. 13 at DOC NYC film festival with the full series arriving Dec. 18. - On Friday at Blizzcon, Blizzard released the new trailer for the Duncan Jones directed Warcraft movie which is coming in June 2016.
- A new International trailer and a new TV trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens have arrived with a few extra bits and pieces from the movie.
- Reddit’s first six-episode documentary series “Cyborg Nation” on Wired with plans to bring it to Upvoted as well.
- ‘The Expanse’ Set For Digital Launch Ahead Of December Premiere On Syfy
– The Expanse, a SYFY TV series based on the books by James SA Corey will debut its first episode on Monday, November 23 on Hulu, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu iTunes, YouTube, Facebook and more. The series then has a two night premier starting December 14. Syfy has partnered with Twitch, Wikia, IGN, IMDb, Good Reads, Crave Online and Roku to host the series premiere with original custom content. - Brian: Fargo, The Leftovers, The Shield, all Rick and Morty (again), the entire current season of South Park, first 2 episodes of The Walking Dead
- Tom: Clone Wars, Fargo (204), Muppets, Flash, Supergirl, Arrow, The Shield (713), Doctor Who, Walking Dead, The Leftovers (206), Once Upon a Time, Bob’s Burgers, Last Man on Earth
- Lamarr: Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Difficult People (Thx Bryce), Blackish, (Movies) Inside Out, TomorrowLand
- Bryce: Master of None
Dispatches from the Front
Hi guys,
Coming from a lifelong Trek fan, I understand why the internet exploded over CBS’s decision to bury the new series behind a paywall. I also see CBS’s side, they are taking a huge risk with what will likely be a cast of unknowns, a huge f/x budget and a hard sell to top advertisers.
No matter how good the pilot is, though, I won’t be subscribing to All Access. Not because CBS shouldn’t do what they did, they have every right, but because they don’t offer any other programming that interests me right now. I already own everything Star Trek that I like so I really have no need for the back catalog. I’m only moderately interested in Supergirl (which is also All Access only online) as it’s clearly targeted at a female audience and the whole Kryptonian on TV thing has been done to death.
I do want to watch the series, so I am going to take the Netflix approach. As Tom so eloquently stated, you can subscribe and unsubscribe to these services at will. When the first season is complete, I’ll join All Access for a month and binge watch the whole thing in a weekend. Problem solved and no internet cursing!
Of course, it will end up being really good, or during that month I’ll find something there that I’ll have to watch and I’ll end up subscribing long-term. Then all the CBS executives will hold their pinky up to their mouth and laugh that evil laugh. Those bastards.
– Paul
I’m a huge Star Trek fan. Not go to conventions and dress up huge, but otherwise yeah. I have no problem paying for CBS All Access to get Star Trek. And it would have be horrible past the second season for me to stop watching. Every Star Trek series is notorious for having a slow first couple of seasons (well except for TOS). Plus, if ST fans don’t show their support, we could lose out on future properties!
Live Long & Prosper
– Tom
New TV shows need to hit a critical mass before they attain true popularity. Putting the first season of any TV show behind a paywall that hardly anyone is using yet, is a huge mistake. Even a brand as big as Star Trek can flounder with such a definitive barrier.
Yes, Trek fans will be happy to pay and CBS will gain subscribers, but will it be enough? CBS has a track record of cancelling shows in their first or second season if the views are low. Everything from the original Flash TV show to The Crazy Ones to Extant. Will they give Star Trek a chance if too few subscribe?
What about those that decide to wait for the season to end, and binge watch the whole thing in one month and cancel? Star Trek does not seem like a property that should be used as a test in this way – it has been off the air for too long and has too much to prove.
In the end I believe this experiment will fail even if the show is actually good, as we will once again have to wait another decade for more Star Trek on the small screen. After all, it was the CBS acquisition of Paramount studios in 2005 that finally spelled the end for Enterprise.”
– Paul
Star Trek will have to be as good as Star Wars makes the audience feel. If SW doesn’t live up to the hype, there is no hope for ST. Because of the timeline, ST will be a television complement to the massive SW movies, sort of like a pacifier in between the bottle. At this point, we don’t know if the audience viewing ST will be on an intergalactic high or going through space fatigue.
On another note, Childhood’s End is coming up in December which is not soon enough me. I think it was Brian that mentioned how much he loved the book and that convinced me to read it. I loved it enough to seek out my own copy at a local free bookstore (1960 edition). Thanks!
And thank you both for all the hard work you do.
– Abry
Hi guys,
I’ll put my vote in for not reading Preacher. I read it, and while I didn’t dislike it, it was hardly my favorite book. Not anywhere near my top 10 or even top 20.
It feels oddly dated. When I read it, I assumed it was made in the 80’s because of the art style, but was surprised to find that it came out from 95-00. I guess my other problem is that it’s a Garth Ennis book, and while I don’t mind violence he seems to relish in it and write for it. He seems to like the shock value.
Anyway, there’s more I could say, but it’s not really worth it. I say skip it and read something by Brian K Vaughn instead. Can’t ever go wrong with that 🙂
– Matt
Links
DTNS 2620 – Mentally in the Wasteland
Google open sources its Tensor Flow deep learning software. Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt discuss how this is and is not the same as if Google open sourcing its search engine in 1999.
Using a Screen Reader? Click here
Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.
If you are willing to support the show or give as little as 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!
Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!
Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit
Show Notes
To read the show notes in a separate page click here!
Today in Tech History – November 9, 2015
In 1967 – NASA launched a Saturn V rocket carrying Apollo 4, a test craft launched from Cape Kennedy. It was the first launch in the Apollo program and the first time using the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center.
In 1979 – The NORAD computers detected a massive Soviet Nuclear Strike. Thankfully raw data from satellites were reviewed along with early warning radar, proving it was a false alarm. A technician had loaded a test tape but failed to switch the system status to “test”. Oops!
In 2004 – The Mozilla Foundation released Firefox 1.0. It featured tabbed browsing and a popup blocker.
Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Today in Tech History – November 8, 2015
In 1870 – The US Weather Bureau (someday to become the National Weather Service) issued its first weather warning for a storm on the Great Lakes. It was accurate, but there was no high-pitched beep yet.
In 1887 – German immigrant Emile Berliner patented a successful system of sound recording that used flat disks instead of cylinders. The first versions were made of glass. Talk about your broken records.
In 1895 – German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen, working in his lab in Wurzburg noticed a strange effect while studying vacuum tubes covered in black cardboard. He eventually saw his own skeleton and went on to publish a paper “On a new kind of rays.” The rays would end up being called X-Rays.
Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Weekly Tech Views 17 – Nov 7, 2015
Real tech stories. Really shaky analysis.
It’s November, which means I treat the tech news like a brittle autumn leaf, and pulverize it beyond recognition.
Some Scenes May Be Too Intense For Younger Viewers
YouTube for Android now supports virtual reality video. Currently you can see an ad for TOMS shoes and a Hunger Games VR Experience. Whatever you think of the franchise, whether you find it too violent or too depressingly dystopian, or think that the most recent installment didn’t live up to earlier efforts, you have to admit there’s probably no better way to highlight the potential of VR than with the breakneck action and cinematography of a TOMS shoes ad.
That’ll Teach You To be Popular
The European Commision continues to assert that Google is taking advantage of their dominance in the search engine market. They are threatening a possible $6 billion fine, and contending that steps need to be taken to help other search engines compete. In a related story, the NFL is requiring the New England Patriots to give their playbook to opponents each week and to play every third down with only seven players.
They Probably Spent That Much On Podcast Sponsorships
Outerwall, owner of Redbox and Coinstar, has purchased used gadget-buyer Gazelle for $18 million. Gazelle was able to lock in their selling price for thirty days, and was pleasantly surprised when Outerwall increased the bid from $16 million, upgrading Gazelle’s own estimate of their condition from “fair” to “good,” overlooking some minor dings and scratches. A postage paid container was provided for Gazelle to ship itself to Outerwall’s headquarters.
Okay, Ladies, Let’s See You Flirt Your Way Out Of This One
Police in the UK are the latest to incorporate drones in police work. It starts with crime scene photography and missing persons searches, which makes sense, and it’s cool to imagine this progressing to action movie-type stuff–drones zipping around, casting nets on fleeing burglars or shooting lasers at terrorists, but more likely they’ll be hovering over roads, just waiting for me go 40mph in a 35mph zone, swooping down, printing a ticket as they go, and sticking to my windshield without even stopping. There will be a QR code I can scan which will display a video showing me going from Point A to Point B in X number of seconds, proving my speed. Sometimes I hate technology.
And I Don’t Even Charge $9.99 Per Month
Facebook has a new feature for iOS called Music Stories, allowing users to post a 30-second clip of a song from Apple Music or Spotify, and readers of the post can hear the whole track if they subscribe to the service. I need to check my options with an attorney, but I’m pretty sure they took this from the idea I presented to them–Musing Stories–30-second clips of me thinking about important things, like how many more times can wear this 20 year old t-shirt before a moderate breeze makes it disintegrate into a cloud of microscopic cotton fibers?, what’s that smell?, and how long has that been in my ear?
What Did I Do With That Pencil?
Microsoft acquired MileIQ, an app that automatically tracks mileage, making that bit of bookkeeping easy for those who can deduct the expense. At first, this sounded like a fine idea to the traveling salesman who no longer had to remember to mark his mileage in a notebook each day in order to be compensated for it. But, every silver lining has its dark cloud.
Boss (showing off the demo): “It’s all taken care of for you; the app’s data get synced from your phone to our computers, we cut you a check.”
Salesman: “Great.”
Boss: “I’ll say. The GPS measures distance traveled to a hundredth of a mile. And you don’t have to lift a finger.”
Salesman: “Nice.”
Boss: “Even displays a map of your whole route.”
Salesman (recalling the semiweekly 27-mile detour he takes to the home of the waitress he met at Applebee’s a few months ago, mileage he has been including in his expense reports): “Phone’s broke.”
We All Have Needs
There’s a new router from a company called Luma that offers extensive parental controls and the ability to easily monitor the browsing of anyone on the network. The problem, you can see, is what happens if my wife gets to the admin settings before me. Obviously, I will be locked out of certain “adult” sites that I periodically need to access. There are times when a guy–or gal, no reason to be sexist about this–has certain urges that can be met most expediently, while alone, online. Sometimes it’s free, sometimes you have to pay, and sure, sometimes, when it’s over, you don’t feel great about what you’ve done. Look, I don’t know why I’m dancing around this; it shouldn’t be embarrassing, it’s the most natural thing in the world. It’s just that our society stigmatizes some things that… okay, yes, occasionally, I go to Draft Kings and play daily fantasy football. How about you mind your own business, Luma?
Won’t Do Anything About Her Hogging My Side Of The Bed, Though
T-mobile has a new device–the CellSpot– to improve cell reception in the home. This is big news for our cat, who will no longer have to share the top level of her cat tree with me, from which I would lean desperately toward the southwest corner of the living room, arm outstretched, where I once got a bar.
Which One Goes To The Spamming-Four-Times-A-Day Mesothelioma Lawyers?
Gmail will be launching Smart Reply, a feature aiming to simplify answering email by recognizing those requiring a response and offering three replies to choose from. It will supposedly learn over time and offer increasingly appropriate replies. I am way ahead of this game, with three customized responses to cover every email I get:
1) I got your email. I know you think I’m ignoring you if you don’t get a reply within 10 minutes, so rest assured the world still revolves around you.
2) Great hearing from you! We need to get together soon! Remember last time? Crazy!
3) Hi Mom. Try rebooting it.
OneDrive: The Fabric Of Our Lives
Microsoft’s OneDrive will be discontinuing its unlimited storage plan, capping use at one terabyte. For many of us, a terabyte may still sound essentially unlimited. How many auto repair history spreadsheets will it take to fill a terabyte? But “unfillable” space has a way of being filled, a fact I’m reminded of each time I look in our attic.
Or at my pants.
A few months ago, in the height of summer–great running weather, eating a lot of salads, basketball after dinner–I was on the 33-inch waistband plan. Not unlimited, but it may as well have been. My pants were slipping precariously to teenager depths, a tripping hazard for those of us without the years of experience required to navigate the world in thigh-high waistbands. But then came the summer-ending Labor Day Festival of Gluttony. And wing- and sausage sandwich-heavy football parties. And a stay home vacation we livened up by trying a new restaurant, beer, and ice cream each day. Halloween, and its devious invention of “fun-sized.” More rain, less running. More TV, less basketball. And suddenly, unfillable is feeling, if not filled, pretty damn fillable. By Christmas, the pants-related risk will be one of ripping rather than tripping.
Enjoy your terabyte, OneDrive users, while it looks so expansive, and try not to think about the coming day when you’re looking for a discreet way to undo the button at the top for a little breathing room.
See, nothing says fall like the sound of tech news crunching underfoot. Enjoy your week, and I hope to see you next time.
Mike Range
@MovieLeagueMike
Weekly Tech Views Blog by Mike Range is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.