Archive for December, 2008
Laetitia: Kultur-Terror & Teufelswerk
More on Melanie Laetitia Mantis and her work at the official website.
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Linkdump: 12/30/08
You’re a cop. You’re stoned out of your mind. You suddenly freak out. Who you gonna call?- It’s just plain ol’ unexplained weird science… but without the wired-up Barbie doll or the “ceremonial” bras on our heads.
- It’s food, it’s a flash drive, it’s… both?
- Best comment: “Taking pictures with the skull of a 13 year-old girl… not for me.”
- Make your own Biblical Mad Libs? Sign me up!
- And, best of all… NO ROSEMARY’S BABY REMAKE!
Cable TV Is Dead… And Replaceable
Awhile back, I’d posted about my decision to eject cable television (and, by extension, all television reception) from my life. Now, almost six months later, I realize that not only have I saved myself some real money by not paying for programming I never even watched, but that cable television (yes, Comcast, this one’s for you) is fading into obsolescence.
If wanting to take the plunge yourself, here are the ways in which your cable television service can be completely replaced…
Hulu: Plenty of network television programming and movies here, right on your computer screen. Membership is free and selection is decent. Video frame rate is on par with standard Internet video and you can even go full screen. If you’re not much for television from the last 20-25 years (like me), the movie offerings will no doubt be your reason for joining up. (Once in a movie category, use the “Filter By Title” dropdown for a more manageable list.) RSS category feeds are also available. And, although I haven’t checked them out extensively, plenty of buzz is going around about Hulu competitors, Joost and Veoh. Cost: Free.
Podcasts: You’d be surprised just how many programs are available as downloadable podcasts, and you don’t even need an iPod to view them. Visit the iTunes Store via the iTunes software and browse through their Video Podcasts subcategory found by clicking their Podcasts link on the main page. Then subscribe to all of your favorites. This route completely replaces your need for cable television to view, for instance, newscasts (but is certainly not limited to that). ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN… they’re all there. Full screen video is a bit pixelated sometimes, but if you don’t mind that, or viewing it at half-sized or less, then you’re all set. And it looks marvelous on an iPod, in case you’re ever heard of one of those. Cost: Free.
Netflix “Watch Instantly” / Roku: A bit of a caveat here — Since I’m a Roku owner, I have no real need to use the Watch Instantly version unless somewhere other than home, so I can’t speak of it knowledgeably — although Mr. Simmon made some observations on it. However, if you don’t own a Roku box (or an XBox 360, or an approved Internet-connected Blu-Ray player), you don’t get to use your TV set. But with the rise of high-quality flat-panel computer monitors, the line between what’s a monitor and what’s a TV set are blurring. You could also use a TiVo HD player, but that implies you’re using cable TV, which defeats the purpose a bit. In any case, Netflix has a growing number of movies and classic TV shows for instant viewing. In my experience, this service pretty much nullifies the need for any of the premium cable movie channels and any of the cable networks that play vintage TV shows. And, of course, no commercials. Netflix is a paid service but if you get their lowest possible membership which allows unlimited use, you really come out on top in the end. Of course, renting the DVDs is also an option and their selection of old TV shows and movies on disc is considerably larger. If interested, Roku also has a bit of a competitor in Apple TV. Cost: $8.99 (+tax) monthly membership for entire Netflix service.
Shows on DVD: If you really enjoy certain television programs and you want an easy way to avoid commercials, actually buying the box-sets of your favorite shows can be an option. Not all shows are available but many are, and old ones are often cheap. Start your own library of shows. Be your own programmer. Cost: Varies.
Even if you bought one TV show DVD box-set a month, had a minimum membership with Netflix, and of course, used the free options of podcasts and Hulu, you’d generally come out spending about $25-40 every month. Contrast that with Comcast, who would charge at least $82 a month for regular cable plus only one premium movie channel. If you didn’t buy DVDs at all, that’s around $9 a month (not including your monthly Internet costs, which you’d be paying in any case) and no cable television service provider can even come close to undercutting that. Plus, the cable companies cannot give you such full time-shifting options or the portability that my suggested substitutes can. And, just doing a Google search now, I discover that I’m not exactly alone in my chosen replacements.
Given that many countries are experiencing the crunch of a bad economy and that most modern television is crap, why not jettison a service that is expensive, largely unused, and outdated in favor of some viable alternatives? Much like land lines are being dropped in favor of cellphones, so too might cable television service bend (or break!) to the will of its successors. At the very least, why give them money when you simply don’t need to?
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New ARC Addition: eMate 300
While technically not a Macintosh (it doesn’t even run the Mac OS but, rather, its own: Newton OS 2.1), this Apple product — in essence, a Newton (or, more specifically, a MessagePad) PDA in laptop form — still fits the bill as the 17th addition to my collection. Even many of the Mac faithful might have missed this blip on the product radar for Apple as it spent most of its short life in the educational market, with only a few months as a commercially available product before Apple founder Steve Jobs came back to the company in 1997 and soon after put the kibosh on all Newton products. Some say it was because Jobs wanted to streamline the Apple product line after the nightmare onslaught of machines during the Spindler/Amelio years. Others say the squashing of the Newton line (of which, the eMate 300 is the final iteration) was Jobs’ payback to John Sculley for Sculley’s role in Jobs’ ousting from Apple in 1985. The truth, as is so often the case, is probably somewhere in the middle. Regardless, this is one rare and short-lived Apple item… that happens to have some drama behind it.
Got mine just recently for a sweet price but, best of all, it was IN BOX: original packaging, stylus, all manuals, software, etc. And not a single scratch on it. To look at it, you would think it was brand new, straight off the assembly line, and that 11 years hadn’t passed at all. Even the battery and the backlight work, as evidenced by the photo above. This is easily one of the best finds for my Apple Retro Collection this year, making my quest to top it in 2009 all the more challenging.
No commentsMerry Indulgence Day To All!
[from an essay in Bearing The Devil's Mark entitled, "Further Evidence of the Satanic Age"]
Not long ago, Christmas was an observance of the birth, albeit a dubious one, of Christianity’s namesake. Through some lockstep obligation, many people once trudged their way to church on Christmas morning to tolerate endless services comprised of hymnal dirges and monotone preaching… just to run home and get to the presents. And while a minority of American citizens (largely those in isolated, rural, and/or southern communities) still feel that burning desire to “keep Christ in Christmas,” the rest of the world has little to no concern for a fictional composite of previous pagan myths known as “Jesus.”
Today’s Christmas season cuts out all of that virgin birth nonsense and celebrates material gain, indulgences, and the joy experienced with kith and kin. The national economy skyrockets as retail sales climb higher and sooner each year, and with nary a glimpse of the little babe from Bethlehem. Champagne and holiday feasts have overridden communion and pointless prayers — and as well they should. Of course, the ringleader of this yuletide bacchanalia is a marketing creation known as Santa. And we all know what that name is an anagram for.
It stands to reason that if all of the carnal fun was instantaneously taken away from Christmas revelers, and religiosity was the only thing put back in its place, the entire holiday would fade away without so much as a whimper. Take note, believers! Be happy that Christmas, in any form, is even still around. Because your creed is vanishing at an exponential rate.
Merry Christmas!
No commentsHow To Spend All Of That Xmas Money…
Krampusnacht: Santa’s Dark Side
Proving once more that people enjoy the carnal side of life far more than entertaining dead spiritual doctrines and prostrating to a mythical figure of weakness and submission, Krampusnacht (and festival celebrations during the same time and in the same spirit) brings back the almost-forgotten “evil twin” of Santa Claus, making Christmas revelry even more fun and debauched. Certainly NOT Christ-like, as the author of this piece notes:
And yet I wondered, as we drove back through the darkness, how the Krampus had devolved—from a spirit meant to shock children into good behavior—into an excuse for wild inebriation, and in much the same way that Santa Claus had been co-opted by crass commercialism. Not to mention the way that Christmas itself, meant to celebrate the birth of a savior, had become an excuse for mass consumption—material, alcoholic, or otherwise. And suddenly, despite all the über-weirdness I had seen that weekend, I felt very close to home.
So, the next time you’re well in the bag after a dozen spiked egg nogs, remember to spill a little on the carpet for Krampus — or you might just get a switch to your backside.
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