Better Call Saul (Ep. 5), The Walking Dead (Ep. 12), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Ep. 1), House of Cards (Ep. 3-6), The Shield (501).
01:46 – Better Call Saul (Ep. 5)
11:55 – The Walking Dead (Ep. 12)
17:07 – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Ep. 1)
21:15 – House of Cards (Ep. 3-6)
32:13 – The Shield (501)
In 105 – Ts’ai Lun demonstrated his process for making paper to the Han emperor in China. He probably didn’t invent it, but he certainly turned it into an industry for the first time. And the industry still survives 20 centuries later even in the face of the computers that plot its doom.
In 1985 – The Southern New England Telephone Company turned on ConnNet, the nation’s first local, public packet-switching network. Customers could access CompuServ, NewsNet and other services at a blistering 4,800 to 56,000 bits per second. The service’s X.25 protocol went obsolete in the 1990s with the popularity of the Internet Protocol.
In 2011 – Apple began selling the iPad 2, a thinner version of the first iPad, that also included a camera.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Patrick Beja is in today. First the Web now mobile. In light of the shut down of GigaOm, can journalism survive continued disruption?
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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 guest: Patrick Beja, DNTS contributor and independent podcaster. Check out Pixels and The Phileas Club on Frenchspin.com
Headlines:
TechCrunch reports an Apple Spokesman confirmed the Apple Watch battery is replaceable and the lifecycle is about three years. The Next Web has a good breakdown of the way Apple calculates battery life. The 18 hours of typical use means 90 time checks, 5 per hour, 90 notifications, 45 minutes total app use and a 30-minute workout with Bluetooth. Other estimates are that total talk time is 3 hours. Total music over Bluetooth is 6.5 hours. Heart rate sensor use runs 7 hours. And if you do nothing but check the time you should get 48 hours. Charging up from empty takes 1.5 hours to 80% and 2.5 hours to full.
The Intercept reports on documents leaked by Edward Snowden from a security gathering called the “jamboree” sponsored by the CIA’s Information Operations Center and held on a Lockheed campus in Northern Virginia. Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories discussed a modified Xcode that put secret backdoors into apps— a modified OS X updater that could install a keylogger— and attempts to break encryption on iOS firmware. Attacks against Microsoft devices were also discussed.
The Next Web reports that The Wikimedia Foundation is joining Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and 6 other organizations to sue the National Security Agency and the US Department of Justice over the NSA’s mass surveillance program. Wikimedia says that the intelligence agency’s methods captures communications by its users and staff, thereby violating their privacy and threatening intellectual freedom.
Yesterday the tech news blog GigaOm came to a sudden halt. A post on the site said GigaOm was unable to pay its creditors and had ceased operations. Founder Om Malik, who is no longer working on the site, expressed regret and thanked its workers and readers. The company does not intend to file for bankruptcy but it’s eventual fate is unclear.
The Verge reports a “source knowledgeable with Android Wear’s product road map” says the next software release will add WiFi support, gesture support like flicking the wrist to scroll, and easier access to apps and contact.
The Verge has the news that the Playstation 4 and PlayStation Vita are going on sale in China on March 20th. The PS4 will code 2,889 yuan (about $464) and the Vita will sell for 1,299 yuan ($207). Chinese officials banned foreign game consoles in 2000, driving most gamers to PCs or mobile devices. The prohibition was lifted in 2013, and Microsoft launched the Xbox One in September 2014.
The Daily Dot reports the UK’s Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology issued a briefing saying a ban on data encryption and online anonymity is neither acceptable nor feasible. Earlier this year UK Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to ban encryption on the web and end online anonymity to combat terrorism and child pornography. The briefing specifically mentioned TOR as a tool used to bypass censors and the difficulty foreign censors have had in blocking it. Furthermore it noted that 1,624 domains were found to have child abuse material on the open Web, while 36 were found on the Dark Net.
TechCrunch reports the app Yik Yak seems to have been delisted from the Google Play store. The anonymous localized chat app can be found in search but is not listed on any charts. Yik Yak is listed as #20 in social on iOS. Several college campuses in the US have banned the app recently because of the offensive and abusive nature of some postings.
News From You:
tninja3000 & starfuryzeta would like you to know that the US Senate has confirmed former Google Inc executive Michelle Lee as the head of the US Patent and Trademark office. Reuters reports that the position had been vacant for more than two years with Lee as acting director. Lee had been head of patents and patent strategy at Google and joined the USPTO in 2012.
the_corey has sent us a story from The Next Web with a report that Sky Broadband has been ordered to hand over customer data to copyright enforcement company TCYK by a UK court. Sky has sent letters to subscribers explaining the situation and that they should examine any correspondence from TCYK carefully. Sky subscribers who receive a letter from TCYK can contact the Citizens Advice Bureau for guidance.
Discussion Section Links:
Pick of the Day: Synergy Project via Satya
Satya: Hi Tom,
My pick is Synergy Project, http://synergy-project.org.
It is a pretty cool and very useful software for a sharing a single keyboard and mouse across multiple computers without any additional hardware.
It costs 10$ and works on all operating systems. It is worth every penny.
Messages:
Hi Tom-
When I saw the new USB port world serve as charger and it’s some input, I freaked at first. When I thought about it, I realized with modern battery life, Wi-Fi, cloud storage, and Bluetooth, ports are less useful than they were in the past.
I’m glad they kept the headphone jack since Bluetooth audio fidelity still isn’t quite to to snuff yet. I’m hoping future Wi-Fi specs can support multiple connections to connect wireless storage or wifi headphones or speakers while not cutting off your network access. Pull that off and we might enter a brave new portless world.
Thanks for the great work!
Mike in Smoggy Beirut
================
“Hey, guys. A quick thought on the new MacBooks.
To understand how Apple is positioning them, I think it makes sense to consider its specs:
Retina screen.
M-class processor (which doesn’t require a fan).
Extremely thin and light.
Just two ports (power/data and audio).
Emphasis on touch interaction.
Three colors.
Sort of reminds me of an iPad.
I think it’s really meant for people who are tired of trying to combine an iPad with a keyboard in order to get real work done. In other words, in my opinion, the new MacBook is the best iPad Apple’s ever made (and I want one).
Christian”
=====
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!
PODCAST AWARDS
Also Podcast Awards! Remember yesterday, and the day before, when we told you how you could vote for your favorite podcast in the Podcast Awards? Well guess what, you can vote again today! For example, you could vote for DTNS in the technology category, but you can also support Night Attack in the “Mature” and “Video” categories. Also you can vote for The Instance, Film Sack and our good friends at The Morning Stream and Night Attack. I guess you could also vote for Serial. But only once. Vote once a day at http://www.podcastawards.com/ until March 24th.
Wednesday’s guest: Eklund!
Here at Sword & Laser, we love encouraging people to try writing for themselves, even if it’s just during NaNoWriMo! But the Alpha SF/F/H Workshop is helping many young writers, ages 14-19, learn their trade with the help of volunteers at their yearly workshop in Pittsburg. But they need our help!
Writing genre fiction can be a lonely business for teens. The Alpha SF/F/H Workshop brings together young writers, aged 14 to 19, for ten days of creation and peer review critiques. At the end of the workshop, students leave with new skills and a vibrant network of support.
Alphans have published in dozens of markets, including Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, Analog and Strange Horizons. Many of them have placed and won in contests such as The Dell Magazine Award, Writers of the Future, and the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Tamora Pierce, author of young adult series such as Protector of the Small and The Provost’s Dog, has instructed at the workshop every year since its inception. This year, instructors include Ellen Kushner, author of the beloved Riverside books recently adapted into an award winning Audible series, Delia Sherman of Freedom Maze fame, and the Andre Norton-award winning Alaya Dawn Johnson.
Alpha works hard to keep costs low–every staff member is a volunteer, and the tuition is kept at the lowest possible level–but prospective students often require financial aid. This year–as they have for the past several–alumni have contributed writing and art to an illustrated flash fiction anthology and offered it as a donor reward in the entirely alumni-organized scholarship fund drive.
The Alpha alumni fundraiser will run March 17-26. Would you consider giving us a signal boost? Donations really do change the course of our young writers’ lives.
To learn more about the Alpha SF/F/H Young Writers’ Workshop, please visit the Alpha website, and check out our latest video, featuring interviews with Bruce Coville and Tamora Pierce.
In 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell spoke the immortal words “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.” over the a telephone in his Boston laboratory, summoning his assistant from the next room. It is widely considered the first instance of someone using technology when they bloody well could have just got up and spoke to someone in person. It is also widely considered the first phone call.
In 1891 – Almon B. Strowger was issued a US patent for his electromechanical switch to automate a telephone exchange. Strowger wasn’t the first to think of of automatic switching but he was the first to make a practical switch.
In 2000 -The Nasdaq hit 5,048.62, the highest point of the dot-com boom. The bust began the next day.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
HBO coming Now to Apple, later to others and Sling TV gets better but how much better?
CordKillers: Ep. 61 – In Time for VEEP
Recorded: March 9, 2015
Guest: Robert Krekel
Intro Video
Primary Target
Signal Intelligence
Gear Up
Front Lines
Under Surveillance
Dispatches from the Front
My wife and I were thrilled to see House of Cards show up in our long list of shows just like anything else would. We then sat down to watch the first episode and…. I remembered why we never use the Netflix app on our Tivo. It’s super slow to start up in general, it doesn’t even look as nice as the app on my no-longer-supported Google TV, and the last straw was that when we hit play on the episode it buffered to 25% and just stopped. We tried to play it this way five times, but gave up. I just switched over to the Chromecast and was up and running in about 30 seconds.
I absolutely love my Tivo, but they’re making it SO HARD TO LOVE THEM! 🙂
Matt
A hobby I enjoy is making the DYI antennas from the internet and the one I built this weekend is the best performance antenna to date. It can be found at http://www.instructables.com/id/Indoors-Fractal-HDTV-Antenna/ This is also one of the cheapest designs I have made. There are no 2×4’s or PVC or reflectors to make. I have yet to try this on a longer run of cable but I was able to get every local channel at nearly full signal in the basement with this one. This weekend i’m going to swap this with my attic antenna for fun and see how it performs there. The design of this one is really designed to be right next to the TV on a short run of cable. I highly encourage anyone looking for a fun project for an evening to try this one out. One complaint is I found the download of the pattern to not be scaled correctly. I had to re size it to get it to print out to proper scale. So just make sure to check the listed dimensions on the print out before you start making it.
Dan
I live in the DC Metro area, and I’m paying Verizon about $200 a month for a phone number I don’t want (that I’d rather move to google voice), 300+ TV channels I don’t use (mind you SD+HD count as 2 channels) only because it’s the cheapest tier that has BBCAmerica, and 75/75 internet, which isn’t terribly bad, when I get it.
Mostly the service is pretty good, the 75 down is consistent and often better. Upload isn’t even close (usually more like 15). I try getting fewer channels from time to time, or ditching the phone altogether, but in the end neither really saves me money. Last time I tried, I instead got all of the major pay channels for free for a year (SHO, HBO, STARZ, Cinemax, etc.)
I do have a question that I haven’t heard addressed. The Beeb geofences the iPlayer so only those paying the license fee (more or less) have access. I understand the reasoning here.
Why do they not have an option for those of us not required to pay the fee to sign up for a paid account, thus allowing us to pay the fee. I’m pretty sure I pay more trying to get time-delayed BBC content via BBCAmerica (and even more delayed via PBS) than the license would cost me. That might cut down on the “piracy” even Jeremy Clarkson mentioned in this season’s Top Gear premiere.
Rob
I was curious if anyone on the show knew anything about what has happened to Hitbliss? When they started I was more than happy to use their service as an alternative to torrenting and was quite confused when they stated on their blog that they were shutting down the beta to focus on bringing the service back in a few months. I think that this was about a year ago. They gave no mention to any opposition. However, I have never seen a service stop their beta if it was successful unless it had opposition.
Mike
Hello Tom and Bryan,
I want to know your thoughts on the future of internet since people are cutting the cord. Will this force the cable/internet providers to up their speeds to remain competitive (especially with 4k becoming a future standard), with or without the new FFC law?
Thank you,
John
Links
Tim Stevens is back to chat with us about HBO Now, ResearchKit, a new 12-inch MacBook and the Apple Watch pricing.
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Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
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 guest: Tim Stevens, editor-at-large CNET.com
Headlines:
Oh that watch. We finally have the details. An Apple Watch app comes first along with iOS 8.2 today. Thats how you’ll manage app selection and installation. It also will have a magnetic charger that snaps to the back after you exhaust the 18 hours of normal use battery life. The aluminum-bodied Sport collection comes in silver and space grey. $349 for the 38mm and $399 for the 42mm. The Apple Watch Collection has more band options and comes for $549 to $1049 for the 38 mm and $599 to $1099 for the 48mm depending on what band you choose. Finally the Apple Watch Edition collection comes in solid gold and if you have to ask you can’t afford it, but it starts at $10,000. You can preorder and get an in-store demo starting April 10 and the watches begin shipping April 24 in 9 countries.
Apple announced a new 12-inch MacBook with a 2304 x 1440 screen a new trackpad that can gauge how hard it’s clicked and a fanless unibody construction. Most of the insides are batteries leading to a 9 hour battery life for browsing. The laptop has 802.11ac WiFiu and Bluetooth 4 but only one USB-C port for power, data, display and of course USB. It comes in silver, space grey and gold starting at $1299 for 256 GB and $1599 for 512 GB shipping April 10.
Apple also announced ResearchKit, an open source framework for creating diagnostic apps to conduct health research. Examples included a Parkinson’s, asthma, diabetes and breast cancer. Apple never sees the data and the user of the app decides what data is shared with the app maker.
Techcrunch reports open source Saleforce rival SugarCRM has acquired Stitch mobile platform and iOS app to help salespeople follow and close deals. Stitch provided analytics to make email and documents more useful while using machine intelligence to surface better sales opportunities. SugarCRM will shut down Stitch and roll its tech into the core Sugar application.
PC World reports that Samsung has released a free web version of its Internet streaming music service, Milk. The browser version has a linear slider to fine tune taste, and introduces keyboard shortcuts. The free version has no ads, but you’re limited to skipping six songs, there’s also a paid version that lets you skip all you want. Music streams at 128Kbps and you’ll still need a Samsung device to use it on a phone, tablet or TV.
GigaOm reports that German webmail providers including Deutsche Telekom and United Internet will roll out a browser plugin next month designed to make end-to-end PGP encryption easier to use. It will work on the German government backed De-mail system as well. United Internet developed the plugin with the Mailvelope OpenPGP project and the code will be published. The plugin will become available in April for Chrome and Firefox.
Cryptic tech invite alert! CNET reports that T-Mobile sent out invitations to an upcoming New York event with the words “This one’s a real piece of work.” The press-only event is scheduled for Wednesday March 18th in Manhattan. Presumably it will not be a collection of opinionated mothers sitting on stage discussing their beloved son’s latest girlfriend.
Remember FriendFeed? Remember Facebook bought it in 2009? Well you can forget about it. Platform posts and messages will go away April 9.
News From You:
Zuntax sent us an Engadget report about a cell phone privacy nugget embedded deep in federal drug case. The defendant filed a motion to suppress evidence, which the court denied. But within that ruling, the judge determined that police officers need a warrant to get phone location data, because a cell phone user has a reasonable expectation that their position data will remain private, even when limited to information about what cell tower was used. The ruling isn’t legally binding, but does serve as a notice to police not to play fast and loose with evidence gathering, at least not in California.
KAPT_Kipper and MacBytes sent us the BBC report that a solar powered aircraft “Solar Impulse-2″ completed its first leg of an around-the-world trip. The aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi and landed in Oman after a 12 hour flight. The pane will circumnavigate the globe over the next five months. Andre Borschbeg and famed baloonist Betrand Piccard will swap piloting duties. The plane has 17,000 solar cells lining the top of the wings, and uses lithium-ion batteries to store power for night flying.
habichuelacondulce sent in the Bloomberg report that Tesla said it is cutting jobs in China. The Chinese Economic Observer reported the company would reduce staff by 30%. Tesla spokesman Gary Tao said the changes started at the beginning of the year. CEO Elon Musk said in January that Chinese sales were slow because of concerns over charging.
Discussion Section Links: Apple Keynote
http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/9/8177087/macbook-port-adapter-accessory
https://gigaom.com/2015/03/09/how-much-apple-watch-costs-when-it-goes-on-sale/
Pick of the Day:
My pick of the day is your old android phone if you have one. They make great dedicated remotes for your Chromecast. If you old phone won’t sell for much, wipe it and install just your entertainment apps. You may get a little extra speed out of the old phone if you can root it and install a ROM without any bloatware like Cyanogenmod. Improve battery life by putting into airplane mode, and then just turning on WiFi.
Steve in the OC
Messages:
Hey Tom it’s been a busy week, but I seem to recall you talking about wireless device charging vs USB ports recently… Just to be clear; some systems like the Powermat being installed at Starbucks does charge the device via inductive coils with the ability to also send data back to Starbucks.
The power receiver changes the load presented to the transmitting coil, the frequency of this load change allows the system to read the ID of the device being charged. So the system CAN track users. When built into a device it would be unclear to the user how much access this system would have to other data stored on the device. After market adapters most likely would only be able to ID the same adapter since the adapter would only connect to the on board battery.
For public charging, I’ll stick with a USB cable that only has the power pins connected.
<tips tin foil hat>
=====
Tom et al.,
This is Steve from ‘getting the rain out of our system, before SXSW starts’ Austin. After hearing Darren talk about Club Mate on the show yesterday, I thought your listeners might want to know that it is now being widely distributed in the US. In Austin alone there are seven retailers selling it, and The 2600 Club in Brooklyn will ship you a case anywhere in the US.
This link has a tool to show the retail locations near you:
http://club-mateusa.com/
Order form to buy via mail:
http://store.2600.com/clubmate.html
I hope that you find this useful:
– Steve
-Ron
=====
PODCAST AWARDS
Also Podcast Awards! Remember yesterday, and the day before, when we told you how you could vote for your favorite podcast in the Podcast Awards? Well guess what, you can vote again today! For example, you could vote for DTNS in the technology category, but you can also support Night Attack in the “Mature” and “Video” categories. Also you can vote for The Instance, Film Sack and our good friends at The Morning Stream and Night Attack. I guess you could also vote for Serial. But only once. Vote once a day at http://www.podcastawards.com/ until March 24th.
Monday’s guest: Tim Stevens
In 1948 – The University of California at Berkeley and the Atomic Energy Commission announced the artificial production of mesons using the 184-inch cyclotron at the university’s Radiation Laboratory.
In 1961 – Sputnik 9 successfully launched, carrying a human dummy and and the dog Chernushka. It completed 1 orbit and was successfully recovered upon return. Yes, the dog made it back unharmed.
In 2011 – Space Shuttle Discovery on Mission STS-133 made its final landing after 39 flights.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
In 1955 – Doug Ross demonstrated the Director tape for MIT’s Whirlwind machine, the first digital computer with real-time text and graphics. The idea of the Director Tape was to allow multiple problems to be read by the computer in one session without humans having to intervene and change tapes. In other words, an operating system.
In 1978 – The first radio episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, was transmitted on BBC Radio 4. Some credit Adams with accidentally predicting the PDA and smartphone.
In 1979 – Philips publicly demonstrated a prototype of an optical digital audio disc at a press conference called “Philips Introduces Compact Disc.”
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
In 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell received a US patent for an “Improvement in Telegraphy” (No.174,465) which established the principle of bidirectional signals that made the telephone possible.
In 1926 – The first successful transatlantic telephone call was placed between New York City and London. Transatlantic service began the following year at $75 a minute.
In 1994 – The Supreme Court found that 2 Live Crew’s parody of Roy Orbison’s “Oh Pretty Woman” was fair use, and not a violation of copyright, thus ensuring the future of The Onion.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.