Today in Tech History – Mar. 31, 2015

20140404-073853.jpgIn 1939 – Harvard and IBM signed an agreement to build the Mark I, also known as the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC). It weighed 5 tons and read data from paper tape and punch cards.

In 1993 – Richard Depew accidentally posted 200 identical messages to news.admin.policy while testing some auto-moderation software. It became the first USENET postings to be referred to as spam.

In 1998 – After three years of development and much wrangling with the Warcraft engine it was originally built on, Blizzard released the iconic game Starcraft.

In 2013 – IBM shut down the Roadrunner supercomputer, the first computer to run at more than one petaflop.

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Cordkillers 64 – Cold Indifference

Is there enough in Vessel to win? Sling gets more complicated. The Fire TV gets hotel friendly.

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CordKillers: Ep. 64 – Cold Indifference
Recorded: March 30, 2015
Guest: None

Intro Video

Primary Target

  • Former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar’s Vessel Launches To The Public
    Scam School is one of the launch programs 
    Vessel launched to the public March 24
    – Exclusives at least 72 hours early.
    – Adding a total of 135 creators to its current 30 and offered a 12-month free subscription for anyone who signs up in first three days.
    – You can still get 30 days free then it’s $2.99 a month
    – Vessel creators could get CPMs of about $50 through the service, versus an average of $2.20 per thousand views on YouTube.
    – $7 a user bounty for converted subscribers

Signal Intelligence

Gear Up

  • Amazon Fire TV Stick adds hotel-friendly Wi-Fi sign-in
    Update to Fire TV Stick and Box
    – WiFi authentication systems
    – Hide access PIN from kids
    – Employ shortcuts to sleep and mirroring
    – Easily accessed Curated Prime music playlists
    Fire TV Box Only
    – USB port enabled for storage drives
    – Bluetooth headphones

Front Lines

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

Hey guys! As someone who runs a website that produces a lot of local shows (http://trianglelife.tv) I think Meerkat and Periscope are total game changers. We now have the ability to do interviews, cover concerts and other live events with a mere cellphone! Who needs a tricaster, satellite hookup, and other expensive equipment? And don’t forget what this means for events like the Ferguson riots and the Arab Spring.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on the legal issues surrounding this technology. It’s fine if my friend let’s me live stream his band’s concert at a bar downtown, but what if I go to a Metallica concert or a pro wrestling event? There was a lot of talk last year about people’s rights to record the police during an arrest and the cops’ right to seize and access the phone to get the video off it. All that’s a moot point if the video is being streamed live on Twitter.

To your knowledge, how do the laws stand now and where do you think they will go in the future?

Thanks for a great show!

Bob.

 

Thanks for the great show. I thought I’ll let you know about my cord cutting experience here in Saudi Arabia. Just to clarify something, in Saudi we didn’t have cable until about 3 years ago with the two fiber providers started providing such a service. We rely on satellite tv, there are almost 300+ free channels and a couple of paid networks. I was able to stop using all of them. I currently have only internet and Netflix, for Netflix I am using a service called UnoTelly that acts as proxy to mask my connection as if I was in the USA or any other Netflix country. I also occasionally use iTunes and YouTube. My main box is an AppleTV after my WD Live device broke down. I just bought a Roku 3 and got Amazon Prime so will see how that works out. Being in a country where Torrenting in common and no one really cares I do use it a lot. Mainly for CBS, HBO stuff and Movies. I am trying to be all legal but its difficult here as there are hardly any legal services in Saudi at the moment. I am looking into seeing if I can get sling TV or might just wait for the Apple rumored service.

Hope this gives you an idea and keep up the good work

Turki

 

 

 

Longtime viewer, second time writer. My number came up and I am currently a Nielsen panel member in Chicago. It infuriates me to no end that nothing I watch via my Apple Tvs gets Nielsen credit. Not sure what to do with my anger except channel it your way in hopes some thing will change Nielsen corporate practices

As I’m sure you can guess, I’m not meant to reveal to anyone my status as a panel member, so please do feel free to cite anything you wish but please keep my name confidential 

Anonymous

 

 

 

Hi Brian and Tom: In general, I agree with Tom’s assessment that Kimmy Schmidt is two things at once: a great show and something that Brian just isn’t into.

Brian, I’m not going to tell you that you should like something you don’t, but please don’t say it’s a bad show just because you don’t like it. There are many shows on TV that I can tell are good but I just don’t like them.

What I do take issue with is that you’re mad at a show for doing what it’s trying to do, and telling it that it should do something else. I notice that you do this often and it’s the only thing that’s ever bugged me about your opinions on various media properties. You’re always saying “this show shouldn’t be about/doing this, it should be ____.” Well, maybe it doesn’t want to be ____. You really should judge the show for what it’s trying to be/do, not what you want it to. And if you don’t like what it’s trying to do, then maybe it’s not for you.

What I will say, Brian, is that Kimmy Schmidt might be doing more than you’re giving it credit for (particularly after watching three episodes). This article from the New Yorker does a great job at looking at the darker side of the show that’s hidden under the extreme bubbly exterior. It brought up some things that made me – someone who already loved the show as a comedy – think about it on a different level, and gave me a greater appreciation for what it’s trying to do.

In the end, I agree with Tom. Maybe you just don’t like shows like this. But again, it bothers me if you say it’s not good just because you don’t like it.

Matt from Sterling, VA

ps- personally, I laughed through all of the episodes and found one or two gut-busters in each.

 

 

 

Hey Tom and Brian,

Just some thoughts about The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. My goal isn’t to change Brian’s mind and get him to love it, but I think even he has to admit that NBC screwed up big time by not picking up the show and letting Netflix get it.

NBC recently announced that they are going to launch paid subscription internet streaming channels, and that the first offering would be a comedy channel. In promoting it they touted such great NBC comedy hits as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, SNL, and … that’s about it. For a channel with such a great history of great sitcoms it seems like a huge mistake to not even be able to name a current hit sitcom. I think this shows why broadcast networks are in serious trouble. It appears they’re paying “so much” attention to cord cutting and potential internet distribution they’re forgetting the other half of the equation: shows that people actually want to watch.

Keep up the good work,
Your Boss Ben

PS – your thoughts and opinions on the matter are in no way tied to any potential future raises 😉

 

 

I think you guys with your fancy unity remotes are forgetting how great the CEC functionality is on the PS3. This means that you can have one box, hooked up to one tv, using one remote acting as your game system, tv, netflix, hulu, twitch box, music streaming box. This could be the death of the universal remote.

John W

 

Hello Brian & Tom, I wanted to send a message to let you know about something interesting I noticed while listening to your last show. While Tom & Anthony were trying to activate all my toys, I found myself suddenly panicking thinking I was going to need to tell everything to disregard. To my surprise, my Amazon Echo did not activate when Tom kept saying “Alexa”. I then proceeded to run my own experiment and rewind the podcast a few times to see if it was a fluke. My echo never awoke. I then asked Alexa for the weather and it immediately responded. I tried three more times to get Tom’s voice via the podcast to wake up my Echo to no avail. My assumption is the Echo is learning my voice and distinguishes between me (a legit query) and some podcast. Perhaps the next generation of voice interaction Anthony was asking for is closer than we all think!
Thanks for all you do and for the great show. Be well

Gunnar

 

Links
patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box

DTNS 2460 – A Rising Tidal Lifts All Bands

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comMolly Wood and I discuss Jay-Z’s new artist-friendly music service and how albums may be making a digital comeback. IS the future of music iTunes again?

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Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today in Tech History – Mar. 30, 2015

20140404-073853.jpgIn 240 BC – Chinese astronomers observed a new broom-shaped “star” in the sky. It was the first confirmed sighting of Halley’s Comet.

In 1950 – Bell Telephone Laboratories announced the invention of a new kind of electric eye called the phototransistor. Dr. John Northrup Shive invented the transistor, which operated by light rather than electricity.

In 1951 – The Census UNIVAC System was accepted and subsequently devoted almost exclusively to tabulating results of the 1950 Census of Population and Housing. It was the first UNIVAC and was capable of completing 1,905 operations per second, which it stored on magnetic tape.

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Today in Tech History – Mar. 29, 2015

20140404-073853.jpgIn 1941 – 80% of US AM radio frequencies were reassigned to new channels as part of the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement.

In 1945 – German soldiers blew the launch tracks for the V-1 rocket site near Letelle, Netherlands, ending the rocket attacks.

In 1974 – NASA’s Mariner 10 became the first space probe to cross the orbit of Mercury about 704 km from the surface.

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Today in Tech History – Mar. 28, 2015

20140404-073853.jpgIn 1905 – Cornelius Ehret of Rosemont, Pennsylvania received a patent for the “Art of Transmitting Intelligence.” It was the forerunner of the modern fax.

In 1935 – Robert Goddard launched the first rocket equipped with gyroscopic controls near Roswell, New Mexico. The rocket reached an altitude of 4,800 feet and flew 13,000 feet at a speed of 550 mph.

In 1979- A combination of equipment malfunction and human error caused a partial reactor meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania. While no injuries or deaths have been attributed to the accident, it changed US nuclear attitudes significantly.

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DTNS 2459 – If the Robot’s on Fire, It’s All About the Bass.

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comDarren Kitchen joins for a robot roundup. Google wants to help make surgical bots and a robotic exoskeleton invades India. Plus Len Peralta illustrates it all. Will he draw a robot? Who can say?

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If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel 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

Today in Tech History – Mar. 27, 2015

20140404-073853.jpgMarch 27

In 1850 – San José was incorporated as one of the first cities in California and was the site of the first state capital. It would lose the capital to Vallejo in 1852 but eventually become the center of Silicon Valley and the de facto capital of the technology world.

In 1884 – The first successful long-distance telephone conversation took place. Bell and Watson experimented with a line of two twelve gauge hard-drawn copper wires connecting Boston and New York City. The line worked for about ninety minutes before finally falling.

In 1899 – Guglielmo Marconi made the first wireless transmission from France to England. A message was sent 32 miles from Wimereaux near Boulogne, France, to the South Foreland lighthouse near Dover, England. This became an important alternative to laying undersea cables for telegraphy.

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DTNS 2458 – There is No King of the Jungle

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comJustin Young is here and we’ll talk with Steve Kovach about the new Samsung Galxy S6. Can it save Samsung?

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A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel 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

Today’s guests: Justin Robert Young of Night Attack.tv and Steve Kovach, senior editor at Business Insider

Headlines: 

Twitter’s Periscope app launched today adding another mobile livestreaming app to the mix alongside Meerkat and others. Like Meerkat, Periscope lets you stream video live right from your phone and see chatting from viewers. Unlike Meerkat, the chatting is in app, not on Twitter, you can tap the screen to send hearts AND the biggest difference, Periscope archives videos for viewers to watch later. Periscope also lets you choose to tweet a link or not, and even invite selected people to private broadcasts.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge go on sale worldwide April 10 and US preorders will begin March 27. The Verge reports US pricing is between $20 and $35 a month on AT&T and T-Mobile. And PC Mag reports the HTC One M9 will also be available for pre-order in the US starting at $649 at 12:01 AM Eastern March 27th. The M9 hits stores April 10.

TechCrunch reports Amazon expanded its Cloud Drive service today. While Amazon Prime users can already get unlimited photo storage, non-prime users can now pay $11.99 a year for unlimited photo. All users can pony up $59.99 a year for unlimited storage of all media. You can try it free for three months.

Bloomberg reports its sources say Apple is working with Foxconn to begin a trade-in program for iPhone in China as soon as March 31st. Apple retail staff would assess the phone and offer credit. Foxconn would then repair the devices if needed and sell them through its own e-commerce sites and through Alibaba’s Taobao.

According to an Engadget story Reuters reports China’s Cyberspace Administration of China said that sexually explicit pictures and text including nude photos and erotic animation and stories of “one-night stands, wife-swapping, sexual abuse and other harmful information” will be subject to punishment if shared on WeChat. Accounts found to be in violation will be closed for a week on the 1st offense and permanently banned after 4 infractions. WeChat has around 438 million users in China and another 70 million outside the country.

The New York Times reports Trent Reznor who was chief creative officer for Beats prior to Apple’s acquisition, is playing a major role in a redesign of the service, according to Apple employees familiar with the product, who spoke on the condition they not be named because the plans are private. – ooh, new one! The redesign reportedly includes a subscription music-streaming service, and would incorporate curated playlists and more visual appeal from the Beats Music app. However, the report says Apple could not convince record labels to lower licensing costs.

Reuters reports a group of investors led by Japan’s SoftBank is in talks to buy a 20% stake in Indian handset maker Micromax for up to $1 billion. That values Micromax at $5 billion. Canalys reported Micromax became India’s leading smartphone provider in the 4th quarter, though Samsung, who did hold the lead, disputes the finding.

Like to ride in silence? Don’t take Lyft. The New York Times reports that Lyft will add user profiles for drivers and passengers to its app, including the option to add a hometown, musical tastes and other things that make for interesting conversation. If a user has connected their Facebook account, the Lyft app can show drivers and passengers if they have mutual friends. The new feature is meant to help passengers in the Lyft Line carpooling service to get know their new friends.

The Verge reports Microsoft’s universal apps will now be called Windows Apps. In an attempt to limit confusion and simplify things in Windows 10, engineer Don Box, revealed the new naming convention at a WinHEC developer event. “Windows apps runs on all devices, Windows desktop app is PC only. Windows apps run everywhere.”

 

 

 

 

News From You:

KAPT_Kipper pointed out the European Commission press release calling for a Digital Single Market. The proposal wants to tackle geo-blocking, simplify VAT arrangements, make parcel delivery more affordable and efficient and balance copyright between the interests of consumers and creators.

the_corley sent us some awesome space news. NASA has decided on a plan for its Asteroid Redirect Mission that sadly does not involve Bruce Willis or capturing an entire asteroid. Instead, NASA decided that the ARM robotic spacecraft will take a boulder from an asteroid’s surface, then put it into orbit around the moon, where it can be studied and sampled. The Asteroid Redirect Mission is scheduled to launch in 2020.

 

Discussion Section Links:  

http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-first-impressions-2015-3
http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/26/8292311/galaxy-s6-edge-price-colors-verizon-att-sprint-t-mobile
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/a-first-look-at-the-samsung-galaxy-s6-and-s6-edge/?_r=0
http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-preview-photos-release-date-2015-3?op=1
http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s6-release-date-rumours-news-specs-and-price

 

Pick of the day:

Hi Tom and DTNS Crew , I’m $1 worth of a boss and I thought of a pick on the way home in grey and windy London (see pic attached) for you to let everyone know about. Of course everyone knows about Amazon Prime and how good its 2 day US and next day UK delivery, and instant video etc, but did you know you can share the prime delivery perks with your family members who live at the same address for free? Just go in to your prime account management and invite family members and its done and they get the free 2 day/next day delivery.

Keep on keeping on

Jody

Messages

Tom (I’m assuming all of these points will be in the discussion section today, but my two cents),

…I find myself much more compelled to use Meerkat. I’ve been coming around to the ephemeral nature of Snapchat for a while now, and I like the fact that with Meerkat, I can create a live stream of doing something silly to make a few of my friends laugh, but then I don’t have to worry about it following me around on social media down the line. Its temporally limited nature feels like it allows for more “authenticity” at the expense of production quality— Maybe Meerkat vs Periscope will become like Snapchat vs Instagram, their focus is completely different even though there are some surface similarities, and we’re only comparing them now because they both run on top of Twitter (arguably to Meerkat’s detriment now). Or Meerkat will be the next Chat Roulette and be dead in a month.

Also, by being able to save streams, isn’t Twitter opening itself up to a world of hurt (or at least inconvenience) with copyright issues?

Rich from Lovely Cleveland

=====

 

BOL REUNION!

Just announced: The Buzz Out Loud 10 Year reunion on March 29th at 12:30 pacific /3:30 p eastern and 7:30p GMT! It’s free! Tom, Molly, Veronica, Jason and many other special guests! Tickets for the event at the Hak 5 warehouse are available at http://bit.ly/BOLreunion but if you want to attend online you don’t need even need a ticket. The event will stream live on Alpha Geek Radio and on YouTube with more details forthcoming.

Buzztown’s Back!

 

Friday’s guests: Darren Kitchen and Len Peralta!

Today in Tech History – Mar. 26, 2015

20140404-073853.jpgIn 1973 – Larry Page was born in East Lansing, Michigan. He would go on to help invent and co-found Google.

In 1976 – Queen Elizabeth II sent the first royal email, from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment in Malvern as a part of a demonstration of networking technology.

In 1999 – The “Melissa” worm showed up in a file on the alt.sex usenet group and became the first successful mass-mailing worm. The worm’s creator, David L. Smith, apparently named the worm after a lap dancer in Florida.

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