Better Call Saul (108), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (to 109), The Walking Dead (13-15), Going Clear
00:58 – Better Call Saul (108)
07:18 – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (to 109)
10:26 – The Walking Dead (13-15)
17:07 – Going Clear
DTNS 2461 – Press Button, Receive Bacon
Patrick Beja is on today and we’ll talk about whether Amazon’s new Dash Button is bringing retail to far into your home.
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If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here or giving 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
Today’s guests: Patrick Beja
Headlines:
Microsoft unveiled the Surface 3 (not the Pro, the regular one) and it has an Atom x7 propcessor in place of the ARM-designed Tegra, according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. The tablet starts at $499 has a 10.8” 1920×1280 ClearType HD Display, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. 128GB storage and 4GB of RAM costs $599. Ports include USB 3, Mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader, and Micro USB charging port and will ship with a free one year subscription to Office 365 Personal. The keyboard is sold separately for $130 and the stylus is also separate for $50. You can preorder the Wifi versions from Microsoft today. You can slo get LTE versions sold through T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless stores in the US later this year.
CNET reports Google announced new Chrome OS devices Tuesday.
The Asus Chromebit is an HDMI stick with WiFi and Bluetooth that will sell for less than $100 this summer. The all-metal Chromebook Flip is a tablet with a keyboard for $249. And two new $149 laptops meant for the education market were introduced. You can preorder the Haier laptop on Amazon and the Hisense laptop on Walmart.
Google intends to release about 10 new Chromebooks in the next few months.
Twitter has publicly launched Curator, a real-time search and filtering tool designed for media outlets. Tech Crunch reports the free service lets users create complex queries to find specific content or current trends. Filters include keywords, usernames, location, language, time zone, follower count, number of re-tweets or favorites, verified users, and can be combined for complex queries. Curator can also natively search through Periscope and Vine videos.
The Verge reports that Android users can now make voice calls on WhatsApp as part of an update that rolls out today. Click the brand new Calls tab and select a contact to start talking. Voice calling for the app will come to iOS later.
TechCrunch reports Tidal turns out not to just be owned by Jay-Z but 17 other artist and Softbank as well according to the NY Post. The music service will be partnering with Softbank-owned Sprint. Tidal plans to offer limited time exclusives of new releases from artists at around a week in advance of other services. Engadget passes along a Billboard report that Apple-owned Beats’ Jimmy Iovine has already been trying to steal artists from Tidal.
The Wall Street Journal reports Raptr raised $14 million to support the launch of Plays.tv. The new service lets players record, edit and share key gameplay moments. CEO of Raptr, Dennis Fong equated it to the “Share” button on the PS4 for PC gamers. Raptr will be targeting amateur gamers.
The Next Web reports India has begun its national net neutrality discussion. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a 118-page long consultation paper March 27. Citizens can voice their opinion on 20 questions about on the licensing of internet services in India by emailing [email protected] before April 24. Interesting ly the Cellular Operators Association of India is lobbying against against net neutrality and counts Google and Facebook as members.
IBM will invest $3 billion over the next four years in a new “Internet of Things” unit according to Reuters. Services will leverage data from building sensors, smartphones, and home appliances.As an example, the first major partnership will let customers of Weather Co do things like advise customers of safe places to park in advance of a hailstorm. Great for insurance companies. IBM expects $40 billion in a annual revenue from cloud, big data, security and other areas by 2018.
News From You:
Starfuryzeta sent us the Engadget report that on Monday the US Supreme court clarified and affirmed that if the government puts a GPS tracker on you, your car, or your personal effects it counts as a search and is subject to the 4th amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure. The clarification came in a unanimous ruling on Torrey Dale Grady v. North Carolina. Grady, a twice-convicted sex offender was made to wear a GPS monitor at all times. Grady sued the state claiming this qualified as an unreasonable search. The case now returns to the lower court, and all lower courts will now need to address the 4th amendment in monitoring cases.
Sunbun noticed Amazon has launched a new program called Dash Button. The program gives you a plastic wifi-enabled button you can associate with a limited number of regularly used products like paper towels or razor blades. Push the button and the product is re-ordered from Amazon. Amazon is encouraging manufacturers to build the system into products like coffee machines that reorder beans or water filters that reorder filtration cartridges. The program is invite only for Amazon Prime members.
Starfuryzeta submitted the Guardian report that the Belgian study determined Facebook tracks web browsing at its site even if a user does not have a Facebook account or has opted out of tracking. EU law requires prior consent before issuing a cookie or performing tracking. A Facebook spokesperson said the report contains factual inaccuracies and the authors never contacted Facebook. The studies authors said they would be happy to hear from Facebook.
Discussion Section Links:
Pick of the day:
Hey Tom, Jenny & Guest,
Came across this cool iphone 6/6 Plus case today and wanted to make it my pick. It’s the ALM mCAMLITE Stabilizer Mount with Video Lens & Mic for iPhone 6/6 Plus.
This all aluminum iphone case turns your stock iphone camera into a wide angle or macro lens, and includes a mic for recording better audio.
I saw an unboxing video/review for this product and it looks really solid. And for $123 on amazon, it’s not a bad price either!
Thanks for a great show as always!
Your boss from BC,
Jamie
Messages
I loved your talk with Molly regarding streaming service. Especially mentioning the Pono service and apathy towards quality of the music. I have to add that regardless of the 24 bit 96/192 KHz lossless files many of the tracks available are just high bitrate versions of blown out and dynamically compressed masters. Something audiophiles snub their noses at. It is a matter of garbage-in-garbage-out. Love the show.
Alisdair in snow covered Moncton (I almost used an expletive instead of snow covered)
Mike in Sunny Beirut:
I personally use Google Music, which offers streaming like Spotify, but also includes my own library to suppliment songs google doesn’t offer. Amazon Prime members have access to a similar service, although with less free storage.
John in lovely Billings, MT :
My service of choice is Google Play Music for one very important reason – you can upload your own music to seamlessly augment the streaming catalog. This came in handy when Taylor Swift pulled her singles when the new album released. You can buy it directly from Google or anywhere else that gives you the MP3s and boom, problem solved.
Rich from Lovely Cleveland:
You briefly touched on this with Molly yesterday, but I think it’s a major point: the fact that albums are becoming a thing again is a testament to the success of Spotify. It’s a major milestone that streaming music has become so ubiquitous that artists now see the benefit of effectively “pre-releasing” their albums ahead of streaming to capitalize on sales, knowing that between Spotify and YouTube they’ll have a consistent revenue stream going forward after the release. This isn’t the death of piracy, but this emphasis on album releases is the validation of the streaming model. Its actually a very exciting precedent.
Sean, on his way to lovely Cleveland:
Re: the Apple Watch. How hard would it have been to use recycled aluminum? Maybe they are, but I don’t recall seeing it mentioned. If an 80’s K-car can become paperclips why can’t old beer cans become an apple watch. Apple uses so much metal that does not need to bear a large load. Maybe they are using recycled material but I have not seen anything to say that they are.
Garin (as in “guarantee”) from Los Angeles:
My “brother” (who is actually my friend *wink*) I have added as one of my family members on my Prime account contacted Amazon Customer service when he had a package that missed the estimated 2 day delivery. The CS agent went ahead and credited MY Prime account with a free month, without any hesitation. Though this might not help the potential “congestion” of Amazon Prime, I thought Molly and other listeners might find this tip may ease their frustrations caused by a missed delivery estimate. Thanks for the show!
Randy writes:
As a follow-up to Molly’s problem with late Prime shipments, I just wanted to let you guys know that if your package is late, be it the fault of Amazon or UPS, they will extend your Prime membership one month, no questions asked.
In total, since I’ve been a Prime member, I’ve gotten six months free. Just contact them via chat support and getting it extended takes 2 minutes.
=====
Wednesday’s guests: Allison Sheridan!
Cordkillers 64 – Cold Indifference
Is there enough in Vessel to win? Sling gets more complicated. The Fire TV gets hotel friendly.
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
- AMC, IFC, and other channels added to PlayStation Vue internet TV service
- Sling TV blocked from streaming some shows on A&E, Lifetime channels
–PlayStation Vue added AMC, IFC, Sundance and WETV
– Sling TV added A&E and Lifetime but some LIVE programs are blacked out.
– A&E blocks episodes of Criminal Minds and Lifetime blocks Intervention and some made for TV movies
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
- Fan TV’s New App Is A Must-Have For Cord Cutters
–FanTV app has a major update that lets you search and save TV shows and movies and get alerted when they have new episodes and arrive on your preferred services. They track 44 services. A Mobile Web version is coming for non-iOS users. Is this the app we’ve been looking for? - Xbox One snags Epix streaming app
–Movie app Epix is now available on Xbox One. It was already out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Roku, Android and iOS devices and available through Sling TV. Do you care? - Google reportedly turning Web game into TV show
–Google is developing a TV show with Mummy producer Soctt Daniel Co.— based on its game Ingress, which involves visiting real world landmarks and capturing via a smartphone app. Is tehre a reason they shouldn’t do this? - YouTube starts testing silky smooth, ultra HD video quality
–TechCrunch spotted a playlist six YouTube videos that are both 60fps and 4K. Does this silky-smooth High-Res playback excite you yet? - Comcast Says It’s Not Talking to Apple About Apple TV, Because Apple Hasn’t Asked
–Comcast attorney Francis Buono wrote to the FCC: “Not only has NBCUniversal not ‘withheld’ programming from Apple’s new venture, Apple has not even approached NBCUniversal with such a request.” Why would that be? - Hulu Japan tops one million subscribers
–Hulu Japan now has more than one million subscribers, who have collectively viewed more than 360 million hours of video since the service first launched in 2011. Should we move to Japan?
Under Surveillance
- The X-Files’ Revival: David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson to Reprise Roles on Fox
–The X-Files with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Mulder and Scully will return for a 6 episodes story arc. Production with Chris Carter at the help will begin this summer. - Steven Spielberg will direct the Ready Player One movie
–Steven Spielberg has signed on to direct the movie adaptation of Ernie Cline’s Ready Player One. Zak Penn (X-Men 2, Incredible Hulk) wrote the most recent draft for Warner Bros. - Fear the Walking Dead’ in ominous first trailer for zombie spin-off
–The Walking Dead spinoff set in LA will be called “Fear the Walking Dead” Trailer premiered during the Walking Dead season finale last night. - Brian: Wrestling isn’t wrestling, Better Call Saul, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (through ep 9), The Walking Dead 13, 14, 15, Going Clear
- Tom: Better Call Saul (Ep. 8), The Flash, Once Upon a Time, Arrow, The Walking Dead finale, Going Clear
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
Molly 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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Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
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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
DTNS 2459 – If the Robot’s on Fire, It’s All About the Bass.
Darren 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?
Using a Screen Reader? click here
Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
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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
DTNS 2458 – There is No King of the Jungle
Justin Young is here and we’ll talk with Steve Kovach about the new Samsung Galxy S6. Can it save Samsung?
Using a Screen Reader? click here
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 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:
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!
S&L Podcast – #211 – Why Peter V. Brett Empathizes with George RR Martin
We talk with Peter V. Brett about his new book, cool tattoos and the last enjoyable book he read. The Skull Throne, 4th in the Demon Cycle series, comes out March 31, 2015.
DTNS 2457 – Orwellstralia
Peter Wells is on the show to help review the F8 announcements and bring us up to speed on Australia’s move to allow warrantless metadata surveillance of all its citizens.
Using a Screen Reader? click here
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: Peter Wells, editor of Reckoner.au
Headlines
Lots of announcements from Facebook’s F8 developer keynote this morning. So let’s run through them. The big one was Messenger Platform. This allows developers to integrate Messenger into their apps. For example you can go from Messenger to the Giphy app to find that perfect animated GIF then back to messenger to send it to a friend. Or jump to the ESPN app to grab a story and send the link to a friend. Facebook is also trying out business communication over Messenger with Everlane and Zulily. Customers can talk to customer support and get order updates through messenger.
More from F8! Facebook will now support 360-degree ‘spherical’ videos in news feed which will also be supported in Facebook-owned Oculus Rift. You can also now embed Facebook videos on other sites, providing a direct challenge to YouTube.
Facebook also updated the comment system so that comments on a story Facebook sync with Facebook embedded comments on that story’s web page and vice versa.
And Facebook’s platform-as-a-service product Parse announced Parse for IoT, Enhanced Sessions to improve app security, support for React and a new debugging tool. The first step for IoT is an SDK for Arduino with other SDKs to come.
Engadget reports Sony announced the “yukimura” update will come to the PlayStation 4 tomorrow bringingthe long promised suspend/resume function that lets you go from sleep mode into a paused game. You also get the ability to back-up and restore to an extrenal USB drive, the ability to share to DailyMotion and search your Facebook contacts to find anyone who is also a PSN member. Finally verified accounts arrive to identify developers, producers, designers and community managers.
The Daily Dot has sources that say YouTube is planning to relaunch its live streaming platform with a renewed focus on live gaming and esports. YouTube has apparently recruited a team, of up to 50 engineers with expertise in the streaming industry. The company will likely make an official announcement on its revamped streaming service around E3 in June.
Engadget reports Leap Motion announced it’s building an optional faceplate to add motion sensing to Razer’s Open Source Virtual Reality headset. The faceplate will be an option for the OSVR dev kit expected to be available for pre-order in May with units shipping in June at the earliest. Leap hopes to embed its motion sensors in more VR headsets.
Gizmodo reports Ford has introduced technology that limits a car’s top speed based on posted speed limit signs in the UK. The Intelligent Speed Limiter will be available on the Ford SMAX (S-Max? Or Smacks?) and uses a dashboard camera to keep an eye on road signs, adjusting the speed of the vehicle accordingly. Speed limit data can also be pulled from GPS systems if installed. If the vehicle exceeds the set speed limit, an audible warning alarm is triggered and the vehicle’s engine stops getting fuel until it slows down enough.
TechCrunch reports Apple has acquired FoundationDB, a company specializing in NoSQL databases. FoundationDB was well known for its ability to handle ACID-compliant transactions quickly and strong scalability of its database technology. TechCrunch notes the acquisition could bolster Apple’s server-side infrastructure for the App Store, iTunes, cloud services or rumored live TV service. A notice on the FoundationDB website notes that downloads of its database software is no longer available.
The Verge reports a free-to-play game called Halo Online will launch in closed beta this spring in Russia. The game was developed by 343 Industries along with Saber Interactive and Innova Systems. It will be a multiplayer only version of Halo 3 designed to run on low-end PCs. Activision recently partnered with Tencent to bring Call of Duty Online to PCs in China.
News From You
djsekani submitted the Verge article that Radio Shack put its database of 13 million customer email and 65 million physical addresses up for auction as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. Dominant shareholder Standard General won the bid but the court must approve. Attorneys general from Texas and Tennessee have challenged the purchase on the basis that Radio Shack’s privacy policy says it will not sell customer information. AT&T also claims it is the rightful owner of some of the data. The US FTC has previously allowed data like this to be sold in bankruptcy cases as long as the privacy policy is maintained and the buyer is in the same general line of business.
habichuelacondulce sent us the Verge story about Amazon’s testifying before a Senate subcommittee that the drone approved by the FAA is already obsolete. The FAA took a year and a half to process Amazon’s application to fly one specific model of drone. Amazon’s VP of global policy Paul Misener claimes the European Aviation Safety Agency, which treats drones as a new category of aircraft has a dramatically shorter approval time. Amazon also argued for automated flight to be allowed not just line of sight. Misener warned that drone innovation would suffer and development could move overseas to take advantage of less restrictive legislation.
Hobbit fromPA saw that ReCode saw a document outlining a new Google service called Pony Express that lets you receive and pay bills from within Gmail. Gmail users have to verify their identity with a third party and provide account numbers. Once done, bills show up in a special folder and users can choose to p[ay them from within Gmail, using a linked credit card or debit card. The service is scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter.
Discussion Links:
Pick of the Day: Sublime Text
Hi Tom & Jennie
On Friday’s show the listener’s pick was learn Python the Hard Way. This got me thinking about a pick that I’ve been meaning to send in for a while.
Sublime Text is a plain text editor with loads of useful features. In fact I’ve used it for several years as a web developer as my main editor. I even wrote my university dissertation using it! There’s also lots of plugins for it to assist with editing all sorts of languages or just plain text files.
Both major versions are free to use with a “unlimited trial”, which basically means every 15th time or so you press save you’ll have to close a popup window. Which sounds annoying but if you’re just editing the occasional file I think its totally fine.
So if you’re ever in need of a lightweight, easy to use text editor which is supported on all desktop platforms, Sublime Text is my go-to recommendation.
Keep up the good work,
Ali Smith a.k.a fortythieves in chat
P.S. [Feel free to ignore this during the show] I’ve been a bit slack on this myself, but I just wanted to put out a quick reminder that bestofbot is still a thing and archiving the best bits of DTNS 
Message of the Day
It seems lately you or guests have made a mention to divx when talking about something that has failed. On episode #2453 JuRY mentioned it after talking about the DRM on LED. This was the last straw. There is no way you could be talking about DivX (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DivX) the video codec because its a codec. It either is used or not but fail is kind of a strong word for a media wrapper.
So I did a search of the tubes in the event there was another meaning and sure enough Wikipedia has the answer. DIVX (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIVX) was a Circuit City video rental service. I have no knowledge of this and I think I would have been their target audience.
Thank you for the great shows!
-Jim
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Just wanted to let you and your audience know that the docket and some of the pleadings in the RadioShack BK case (case# 15-10197, Delaware), are available via the RECAP project on archive.org if they care to peruse (otherwise Pacer access cost $0.10 PER PAGE). While a Chapter 11 case is a morass of legalese and somewhat arcane procedures, it may be of some interest, if for nothing else then getting a glimpse at the inner workings and relationships of a large corporation. For a more readable version, your listeners can also checkout https://cases.primeclerk.com/radioshack , which does a better job of presenting the same info.
Rich from Lovely Cleveland
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Rafael: Listening to the show and yes I use my roku in a hotel with a software program called connectify hotspot which creates a router based on hotel Wi-Fi.
Tomorrow’s guests: Special early time at 11am PDT, 2pm EDT, with Justin Robert Young and Steve Kovach of Business Insider.
It’s Spoilerin’ Time Episode 63
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Ep. 4), House of Cards, Better Call Saul (Ep. 7), The Shield (503)
00:32 – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Ep. 4)
12:03 – House of Cards (Season 3)
30:34 – The Shield (503)
34:09 – Better Call Saul (107)
DTNS 2456 – Facebook Times
Patrick Beja is on to discuss the rumored Facebook plan to bring NY Times and others pages into Facebook. Is it crazy to think it’s NOT a bad idea?
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Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
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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, DTNS contributor and independent podcaster, host of host of Pixels, Le Rendez-vous Tech and The Phileas Club
https://www.patreon.com/RDVTech
Headlines
The New York Times reports that the New York Times may be among media sites in talks with Facebook to host content within the Facebook site. The New York Times would not comment to itself on the matter. According to several of the people briefed on the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were bound by nondisclosure agreements, he idea would be to improve the load time of links to news pages by not sending people away from Facebook. News sites would possibly sell ads on the pages. National Geographic and BuzzFeed are also allegedly considering the partnership.
Business Insider passes on a report from AdWeek’s Sam Thielman that Google will soon test a system to target and track TV ads on Google Fiber in Kansas City. Sponsors could deliver ads in real time and match the ad to geography, type of program or viewing history.
Viewers would have to opt out of having their viewing history used for targeting. — Also Google Fiber is coming to Salt Lake City which will make our friend Scott Johnson happy I think.
Tom’s Hardware reports Logitech has replaced the venerable Peformance Mouse MX with the MX Master. The MX master is slightly larger and lighter than its predecessor, sports 5 buttons vs the original’s 9 but adds a gesture button, and features a thumb wheel on the left side. The mouse comes with a USB dongle but also supports bluetooth for up to 3 devices. MX Master uses Logitech’s Darkfield Laser Sensor for use on glassy surfaces and adjustable DPI setting from 400 to 1600 DPI in 200 DPI increments. The MX Master will release in April for $99.
CNET reports that a software update for Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire TV stick— will make it easy to sign in to things like hotel WiFi that usually require a browser. The update also adds support for USB connected storage, compatibility with Bluetooth headphones, as well as shortcuts to sleep, display mirroring and prime music playlists. The update will roll out over the next few weeks in all countries where the stick is available.
The Verge reports Kyle Pflug, Microsoft’s Project Spartan program manager wrote on the IE Blog that the new browser Project Spartan will be the exclusive engine on Windows 10. “Internet Explorer 11 will remain fundamentally unchanged from Windows 8.1, continuing to host the legacy engine exclusively.” So long IE.
News From You
ccastro425 and Johnsie776 both noted stories on the first two lawsuits against the US FCC’s Open Internet Order. The Verge reports industry group USTelecom filed suit in Washington DC challenging the Title II classification as not “legally sustainable.” US Telecom does not have issue with the rules themselves, just the legal basis for them. Texas ISP Alamo Broadband filed suit in New Orleans claiming the new rules cause the business harm. The FCC believes the suits will be dismissed. The new rules have been made public but have not been published by the Federal Register and will not go into effect until 60 days after that publication.
starfuryzeta sent us the IT World report that Microsoft will have 8k video compatability in Windows 10 for displays larger than 27 inches. Windows 10 will also support 4K resolutions on PCs with screen sizes of 8 inches or higher, and on small-screen tablets and smartphones with screen sizes of 6 inches and higher. The OS will support 4K video codec HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding, aka H.265).
the_corley posted the Ars Technica report that a US District Court Judge Vernon Broderick has ruled against China’s Fentago software, ordering its domain names be seized, social media accounts blocked and payment processes cut off. Decryption licensing body AACS brought legal action over the sale of DVD ripping software. Fentago claimed it had stopped selling the software in the US and the court had no jurisdiction elsewhere. The Judge noted the tools are still available in the US and Fentago’s explanations as to why were not credible. It is doubtful whether registries in Japan, Germany and China will obey the order.
KAPT_Kipper noted the Verge story about Twitch’s decision to reset user passwords, stream keys and YouTube and Twitter connections after the discovery of unauthorized access to some user account information. In an email to affected users Twitch wrote the compromised information possibly included username, email address, password (which was cryptographically protected), the last IP address you logged in from, and first and last name, phone number, address, and date of birth.
doorsrio sent us the story from NDTV that India’s Supreme Court struck down Section 66(A) of the Information Technology Act finding it vague and unconstitutional. Section 66(A) read: “Any person who sends by any means of a computer resource any information that is grossly offensive or has a menacing character; or any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.” Section 66(A) is part of the larger Section 66 in the IT Act which deals with computer related offenses. It was amended to the IT Act in 2008.
Discussion Links: Facebook’s Walled Garden of Links
Pick of the Day: Trip Log Mileage via Mark Wonsil
Hi Tom,
In these taxing times, citizens of many countries might have to keep track of their mileage and there’s a pretty slick app available on iOS and Android that helps one track automobile expenses either by mileage (with gps) or actual expenses. It’s called TripLog. The results can be sync’d to the cloud and it produces some nice reports for your accountant.
Thanks!
Mark Wonsil
Not surprisingly in Detroit, MI
Message of the Day
Hey DTNS folks,
I’ve been listening to Tom break down tech news for right around 8 years now. I think this is the first time I’ve written in.
I think varying the visual makeup of security warnings is a horrible idea. Yes, people take them less seriously when they see them a lot, but I have encountered several successful phishing scams that used pop-ups disguised as security warnings. If people can be fooled by these when they look passably similar to their existing warnings what is the click-through rate going to be when they don’t know what an actual warning should look like? I just think sometimes complacency is an acceptable risk.
Love the show,
James the Aircraft Mechanic,
Rainy Lake Charles, Louisiana