It’s incredibly likely that we aren’t alone in the universe, but the chances of us making contact with extra-terrestrials aren’t nearly as high. Astrobiologist Amri Wandel seeks to expand on the Drake equation (a formula used to encapsulate the varia…
This is the computer screen I was confronted with while attempting to watch the latest episode of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”, Season 2, online at ABC.com’s site. It says: “Select your provider.” And what do you know? — Time Warner Cable is not listed.
I had watched the previous show the night before and came back to see the new one, (and I did a Netflix-vid-binge of the first season last week — cool.) But getting this roadblock to my viewing and Time Warner Cable not being listed or ABC not giving me an easy option to view the show…? This is not cool at all.
Isn’t ABC TV a broadcast TV station? Why do I have to have permission from my cable company to watch this program online?
And who’s kidding who? Did you ever attempt to watch some of these shows online? The screen bombs every 5-10 minutes or freezes or other nasty things. (Note: Don’t touch the controls.) Or you wait to hear a row of the same commercials –such as the reasons to use “BOTOX” for migraines. Who knew that injecting “Botulinum toxin (BTX)” (which, according to Wikipedia can “cause ‘botulism’, a serious and life-threatening illness in humans and animals”) was a good thing, except if it causes rashes or breathing problems? I even excerpted, below, the part which I could have memorized by now. In fact, the companies get more of my attention when I’m watching online — I should be rewarded not punished.
Conspiracy Theory? I note, it has been so bad when watching the TV show “The Blacklist” on NBC’s online site that I thought Comcast and Time Warner were making sure that the ‘off-the-cable TV’ network viewing and using the broadband-Internet experience to view the show would suck so bad that it would force us back to on-time watching over the cable part of the network to avoid “cable TV-cord-cutting”. (And I was far from the only person who had problems viewing, judging by the flame comments of others.)
It Appears this Sign-in Issue could be Akin to those Buzz-Word Filled Expressions like “Net Prioritization’ or ‘Fast Lane’ vs ‘Slow Lane’ (or ‘No Lane’) — But with a Twist.
Who is to Blame? Your provider has a monopoly on the wire. You have to use their Internet, their broadband, their cable service vs having a choice of providers. If they don’t want to make a deal so you can watch what you want, since they control your selection, their priority is your loss; their fast lane is, well, your you-can’t-get-what you-want lane.
I blame Time Warner Cable, but since I don’t know what went down, I’ll blame ABC and throw in the Walt Disney Company; they could have just let me watch the show without this gatekeeper issue.
Wikipedia writes that “The ABC Owned Television Stations Group is a division of Disney-ABC Television Group that oversees the owned-and-operated stations of the American Broadcasting Company, a division of The Walt Disney Company.”
I note that this same thing of having to ‘log in’ is common and happened when I wanted to watch, online, the latest “Hell on Wheels” show on AMC, a cable channel. Time Warner Cable at least has a deal with them. (However, sneaky me, I used a different web browser which didn’t have the official ‘cookie’ authentication to ‘login-in’ to capture this gem. The other browser remembers who I am and signs me in automatically…lucky me.)
Wikipedia writes: “AMC is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is owned by AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs theatrically released movies, along with a limited amount of original programming. The channel’s name originally stood for “American Movie Classics”, but since 2002 the full name has been de-emphasized as a result of a major shift in its programming.”
Net Brutality?
This is just going to get worse. Why did Time Warner not sign on with ABC? Why? And this isn’t just my problem. I read part of a complaint about Time Warner — same problem in North Carolina.
“Title II”? Net Neutrality?
For those of you that have heard of “Title II” or the “Communications Act of 1934”, I give you Section 202, which is part of a section called “Title II: Common Carriers”.
Here’s More about Title II
Net Neutrality? Simply put — the phone and cable companies want your broadband and Internet connection to be “Title I” (an “information” service) to avoid Section 202, claiming it is not a telecommunications service under Title II.
Title II is known as “Common Carriage” for a reason. I shouldn’t have to ask permission to see an ABC TV show and my provider, who has a monopoly over the wire, should either be required to make deal so that my experience is ‘common carriage’ — I decide where to go without someone else getting in the way, or they compensate me for a violation of Section 202 or some other legal requirement.
(A very funny aside. When I used the spell checker, “Title I” was highlighted and it came back replacing the “I” with “me”. How ironic. This is all about what ‘they’ want — control. I can hear Time Warner and the other controllers of the wires singing “It’s all about me, me, me”. And, using this model, “Title II” means it is not just “me”, one person, but “us”, which requires at least 2.)
Some might call this a business dispute. This is about control — and not from the business side but from the customer side — at the end of the day customers lose.
The Mergers Just Exacerbate a Bad Situation.
Oh, and let’s allow these companies to merge and get larger as there will be one owner for most of cable TV in America. Great idea. Combined, it gives these companies even more political power, but also control over a lot of the content as Comcast is a content provider and owns NBC, Bravo or Telemundo (and even owns Hulu).
And let’s face it; the wired companies are out for blood. Comcast just complained about Netflix, again, in the last few days. Adweek writes: “Comcast Tells FCC Its the Victim and Netflix Is the Villain”. And there are reports all over the web about the problems with Netflix viewing and the ISPs. My own service stalls almost every other time I use it, especially if I move to a different part of the movie.
You don’t have to hold a weather vane to know which way the wind blows. (I paraphrase Bob Dylan.)
Competition Over the Wires, “Open Networks” Is the Answer, Not Just Net Neutrality.
Unfortunately, most who are calling for Net Neutrality or Title II don’t get the underlying issue — It’s all about one company ‘vertically integrating’, meaning controlling all of the primary services over the wire — and now tying the broadband and Internet use to the cable companies’ cable TV service, to block specific content.
I can’t simply drop the Internet service and find some other ISP or broadband provider over the wires coming into my home. The only other wire is Verizon, who is also pointing fingers at Netflix; who knows whether they are blocking or don’t have a deal with other TV providers. (And Verizon continuously raising my local service rates over the last two decades didn’t endear them to me.)
Moreover, the FCC has never been a good enforcer of laws and regulations and there is decades of history to prove it; from the FCC’s failure to ‘enforce’ basic merger conditions to protecting your rights, much less the competitors’ rights who offer you service, it was the FCC, with the phone and cable companies, that closed the networks in the first place, causing this lack of competition and Net Neutrality issues.
My Solution
Since this is the Christmas and Holiday Season, I wrote this letter, and returning to the opening of this tale of woe:
Dear Mr. Santa Claus,
Please send us the Avengers (Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America) and S.H.I.E.L.D, (including Director Fury and Coulsen, his team, and Agent Romanoff) to open up these networks to competition, now. Or at least tell ABC.com to let me watch the new shows online, regardless of the wicked ISPs holding us hostage.
Of course, if you want to know more, we hear that some of the elves are recommending a new book for this holiday season. See “The Book of Broken Promises: $400 Billion Broadband Scandal & Free the Net”.
P.S: I know you are busy this time of year, but did you happen to see my last Time Warner Cable Triple Play Bill? Help America fix this Christmas tree of presents to the cable and phone companies that we pay for. That would be cool. (No pun intended about the North Pole.)
It has long been asked when Uber would arrive in Portland, and the answer is now. As of 5PM today, the ridesharing service UberX is now available to customers in Portland…something that was launched without approval, and that has caused immediate backlash. The company confirmed the business move to The Oregonian, and it is doing so without the city’s blessing … Continue reading
Prana wants you to have better posture and to breathe correctly, and so to help with these two things is its new wearable by the same name. Prana is a disk-shaped wearable that connects to one’s waistband using a clip, and from that position it will use a 3-axis accelerometer to keep tabs on posture and breathing patterns. As with … Continue reading
Fashionable wearables are gaining traction, with products like the Ear-O-Smart earrings and the Omate Lutetia smartwatch ushering in what is sure to be a growing industry of smart jewelry. Mira is in the same vein as these products, taking the familiar fitness tracker technology available in a large roster of products and embedding it in a stylish bracelet. In conjunction … Continue reading
I thought this wingsuit guy flying so close to the ground was going to crash multiple times. I held my breath and closed my eyes and stressed myself out anticipating the worse and still can’t believe he pulled it off. He flies so close to the ground, zips right passed all the rocks and perfectly evades all the trees.
We’re keen on checking in with the folks at Disney Research from time to time to see what crazy projects its been working on. At SIGGRAPH Asia this week, the outfit is presenting recent work in crafting more detailed 3D-rendered eyes. In order to pro…
Mario Balotelli is not quite super when it comes to social media. The Liverpool striker has been charged by the English Football Association over a racially-charged Instagram post.
Balotelli, who has been subjected to racist chants by fans during his tumultuous career, reposted an image on Dec. 1 of video game character Mario of the “Super Mario” franchise that included offensive text. Beneath the seemingly positive slogan “Don’t Be Racist” there was an image of the character and text that read: “Be like Mario, he’s an Italian plumber, created by Japanese people, who speaks English and looks like a Mexican. He jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew,” reported ESPN FC.
The 24-year-old Italy star eventually deleted the image, but not before it garnered plenty of attention.
Mario Balotelli deletes another Instagram picture, denies anti-semitism – “my Mom is jewish”
http://t.co/vQ52myyXST pic.twitter.com/1JjQVgRE4M
— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) December 1, 2014
In attempting to defend the reposted image, Balotelli pointed out that his adoptive mother is Jewish.
( my Mom is jewish so all of u shut up please)
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) December 1, 2014
A day later, he apologized for the incident, claiming it was an attempt at a humorous anti-racism message that he posted in part because of his own “Super Mario” nickname.
I apologize if I’ve offended anyone. The post was meant to be anti-racist with humour. I now understand that (…) pic.twitter.com/UlNeNlEz9M
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) December 2, 2014
The defense and apology were apparently not enough to keep the FA from charging him for an alleged “Aggravated Breach” of its rules on Friday. Balotelli could face a five-game suspension, reported The Washington Post.
According to the FA, Balotelli has until Dec. 15 to respond to the charge.
“We acknowledge the FA’s decision and the player will work through the process to answer the charge,” a Liverpool spokesman told BBC Sport.
Anchorage’s Town Square Park on West 5th Avenue is a festive place. Particularly during the summer when the waning orange glow of the sun at 11 pm sort of makes it feel like sunrise. Which got me in the mood for breakfast, or was it the dueling smoke wafting my way from the three reindeer sausage vendors that set up camp on the sidewalk?
When I first heard about this local delicacy visions of Rudolph danced in my head. Would Santa put me on his naughty list? As someone who was raised in New York all I knew about reindeer was from Christmas stories. Once I found out (spoiler alert) that Santa Claus wasn’t real (end spoiler alert) I just assumed that reindeer weren’t either. I didn’t find out they actually existed until I saw a National Geographic show about them years ago.
Anna working the Husky Dogs stand.
Trying reindeer sausage in Anchorage had not been high on my list of things to do. But as I inspected each of the vendors grilling the sausage, heard the crisp snap of the fat sizzling on the griddle and smelled the unquenchable aroma I just had to try one.
I sought out Husky Dogs where the perky and upbeat Anna was cooking up a few links under the big red umbrella. The owner of the stand, Martin Boss, was busy stocking up the supplies. Martin operates the stand during the summer when he is not in Georgia with his other gig: he works as a film editor on the hit TV show The Walking Dead.
Martin (left) normally deals with zombies which made it easier to work with Michael.
He is proud of his reindeer sausage, emphasizing that it is fresh, never frozen. What really makes his reindeer sausage stand out is the grilled onions placed on top. They are caramelized in Coke every 10-15 minutes and really add a sweet touch. The final piece of the puzzle is their housemade “Boss” sauce, a blend of stone-ground mustard, pepper extract and vinegar. It really packs a zing.
The result? Delicious. I’m not sure I would know that the sausage was made from reindeer as opposed to some other animal but at that point I didn’t care. I just knew that it was crispy, spicy and full of meaty flavor. At 11 PM on a summer night in Anchorage, reindeer sausage really hit the spot.
I hope Santa will understand.
Here’s our video taste test of reindeer sausage.
Larissa and Michael Milne are global nomads who have been traveling the world full-time for three years seeking tasty and quirky sights. You can follow their journey and pick up valuable travel tips on their award-winning blog at Changes in Longitude.
Tradition is one of the most beautiful ideologies we have created and experience as living and loving humans. There is no cookie cutter outline for what your tradition should look like, who you should share it with or how it should grow over time.
Tradition remains one of the few practices that truly belongs to your family and close friends, and allows you to cherish the very valuable memories created with your loved ones over the years. While maintaining family tradition is important, it can be a challenging feat with the fast paced and technologically driven world we occupy today.
Sometimes, tradition is smooth and simple, presenting itself naturally and by habit as the holidays, years and months pass. Other times, it requires more planning and effort on behalf of multiple people, which can of course make the event at hand, seem more tiring or cumbersome. Pros and cons accepted, preserving and nurturing your family traditions are healthy, warming and keep you close to your family and roots. Here are five reasons why you should make a conscious effort to recognize, maintain and enjoy your family traditions!
1. Tradition is constant. Our lives are fast-paced, high-stress, busy and all over the place. Things change so rapidly and what we attach ourselves to can come and go with the blink of an eye. Tradition gives us an opportunity to live in the moment and enjoy something that we have created as a family. It gives us the chance to slow down, appreciate and express gratitude towards the things in our lives that are not run by technology and busy demands. As people, jobs, money and things make their way in and out of our lives, our family traditions can be here to stay, if you let them!
2. Traditions give you something to look forward to. Have you ever had a vacation in the near future that makes work and all of your day-to-day tasks more enjoyable? It’s so nice to have something fun and enjoyable in the horizon. We are human and just as tradition is important, changing up our day to day is equally important. Having a family event brought on by tradition to look forward to makes everyday life that much better. One of my family traditions includes making tamales from scratch every single year while we drink mimosas, listen to music and joke and laugh all day. Maybe it’s time start creating some more tradition, even if it’s something as simple as once a month pot luck dinner. What traditions do you have to look forward to his holiday season?
3. Tradition is really enjoyable. Seriously, there is no better feeling in the world than knowing I get to watch The Grinch with my family every year before Christmas. We all have dinner, lay on the couch, eat popcorn, turn all the Christmas lights on and revel in the family favorite. It brings me so much stress relief and so much happiness to enjoy this tradition we have created each year. Traditions tend to consist of social events, eating, drinking and other fun and memorable experiences. Enjoy it!
4. Tradition won’t preserve itself. Tradition is nothing without you, your family, your laughs, your ideas and your memories. It’s not something that exists outside of us, but rather within us and our energy. If you’re not preserving your family tradition, who is? It’s time to step up as a leader in your family and encourage that these traditions happen each year. Like I said, sometimes these traditions require more planning and preparation, but if this isn’t worth it, what is? If those around you are feeling bored or tired of the same old routine, do your best to communicate how important it is for the young people in your family to experience that routine. You could even try suggesting something new in addition to the tradition to make it innovative and different.
5. Tradition keeps us grounded and focused. While both good and bad distractions present themselves every day, tradition does an excellent job of keeping us focused on the things that are truly important. It keeps us grounded and close to our families, and exemplifies the love we have for each other and the importance of being together. Let tradition be your anchor.
Whether your tradition involves wearing fuzzy socks while eating pumpkin pancakes on Christmas morning, or jumping in the pool at midnight on New Year’s Eve, treasure it. Enjoy it and talk about it. Tell your family how much you enjoy these occurrences that sometimes don’t ever get the official ‘tradition’ title. Create new traditions as your family grows and emphasize how important it is to share these memories with the people you love most. As you grow older, keep your childhood traditions alive and let them grow and change with you as your family starts to experience them as well. If you’re reading this and having a hard time pin pointing what your traditions looks like, get started today; it’s never too late. Call up your family or even close friends and make some of these memories happen. Happy holidays and may all of your traditions be as beautiful as you’ve ever remembered them to be.
Join Daffnee on her journey at DaffneeCohen.com on Facebook, on Instagram @Daffnee, and on Twitter.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.