by Bob | Apr 23, 2014 | Broadband/Internet, Life notes
Update: If you’d like to comment on the new FCC proposed policy, the comment period is open.
I Loves Me Some Netflix. But Come ON!
When Netflix signed a deal with Comcast to pay them extra for faster, more consistent content delivery it was understandable from a business point of view. But it was clear that it violated the principle of network neutrality and that consumers were going to pay for it one way or another.
Sure enough, Netflix just announced it is going to raise rates for new customers, and while existing customers won’t see their rates change for now, as Netflix strikes the same bargains with other service providers it’s bound to happen that all our rates will go up.
FCC: Throwing in the Towel
And guess what, now that the Appeals Court ruled the FCC doesn’t have the authority to enforce Network Neutrality, the FCC has simply decided aw what the heck. Let’s just say we can have multi-tiered service after all.
I think the writing is on the wall. Cable providers are going to continue lose subscribers because of their high cost and bundled packages. People are going to use Netflix, Amazon Prime (which just signed a deal with HBO to stream older content), and Hulu through a Roku or Apple TV device, paying small fees to multiple services in lieu of high fees to a single source.
At least that’s where I’m headed. But then I fear the cable companies will start jacking up Internet service rates. So, we people at the bottom of the food chain will get bit in the ass one way or another.
by Bob | Apr 20, 2014 | Life notes
If you haven’t heard of the Oculus Rift, it’s a newly developed 3D virtual reality device that sits on your face like a large pair of goggles. It’s said to be immersive and quite amazing even at this early stage. It garnered a great deal of attention a few months ago, and then, when Facebook bought it for 2 billion dollars, even more press.
Without personally having the Oculus experience it’s hard to know what the excitement is all about. But clearly something is going on. Then I read this article about an elderly woman diagnosed with cancer, and having a wonderful experience just walking through a demo of a Tuscany village.
The story points the way to future possible uses of such technology beyond gaming. And then I got to imagining a care home where instead of a room full of elderly folks staring at Jeopardy on TV, all the old folks are sitting around with Oculus goggles being tended to by robots made in Japan. They are swaying, and oohing and aahing at the worlds they are experiencing. The robots put ice tea in their hands but it’s not used to wash down a fistful of medications.
Gosh, am I imagining my own future? Could be worse, I guess.
by Bob | Nov 3, 2013 | Life notes, Local Tech Notes, Skeptic
I wanted to share a small victory. A relative had proclaimed herself an anti-GMO person to my consternation. She started sending me links, all of which I refuted. Then she told me she’d watched these 2 movies: Genetic Roulette and Genetic Chili, which, so help me, I watched on a Sunday afternoon.
After I watched Genetic Roulette, I sent her to this page which refutes point by point the assertions from the first film (actually from the self-published book that the film was based on).
Then, I watched the second one, Genetic Chili and saw it was directed by the same guy. So, I looked him up on Wikipedia. From his entry:
A variety of American organic food companies see Smith “as a champion for their interests”,[1] and Smith’s supporters describe him as “arguably the world’s foremost expert on the topic of genetically modified foods”.[20] In contrast, Michael Specter, writing in The New Yorker, reported that Smith was presented as a “scientist” on The Dr. Oz Show despite his lack of any scientific experience or relevant qualifications.[3] Bruce Chassy, a molecular biologist and food scientist, wrote to the show arguing that Smith’s “only professional experience prior to taking up his crusade against biotechnology is as a ballroom-dance teacher, yogic flying instructor, and political candidate for the Maharishi cult’s natural-law party.”[3].
I also noted that much of the assertions in the second movie were based on the findings of debunked studies by French microbiologist Gilles-Eric Séralini
After that, she wrote these magic words: “You are starting to persuade me. The de-bunking of Genetic Roulette is pretty thorough.”
Yes! OK, it’s not definitive. It’s just a start. But hey, any movement toward the light I will take. The rest, now that she has the skeptical spark, is up to her.
by Bob | Sep 13, 2013 | Life notes
….all the live long day.
So I am finally getting forced to make my IPad more useable as a work machine. My MacBook Pro is in the shop. The Dell laptop where we do bookkeeping and other Windows specific tasks is also in the shop (well actually, different shops), both with weird trackpad/bluetooth mouse issues. Coincidence? I think not! It must be a curse cast upon me. If my IPad goes south then I will be absolutely convinced.
In the meantime, I actually have discovered I can do most everything on the IPad, especially with the bluetooth keyboard attached. I may get used to it. It’s lighter, in some ways less distracting since there’s only one all on the screen at a time. When I’m working on my MacBook it’s usually attached to a second screen so I have multiple things going on at once.
My normal work environment (plus cat)
by Bob | Jul 30, 2013 | Local Tech Notes, Skeptic
The conference, which took place in Las Vegas in July, was fun, exciting and stimulating. Meeting James Randi and other skeptic heroes, attending a live recording of The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast and just talking to so many nice folks was a thrill.
I also came away inspired to become more active in the skeptical community and, more important, to engage the larger world with new found strength, knowledge and resources. I am not a scientist, physician, philosopher or magician. I am not formally trained in critical thinking. But I don’t think that will restrain me from finding ways to do my small part to help improve the quality of thinking about the world.
Among the many surprises at TAM was learning of an existing group of Humboldt Skeptics on Facebook. I was at TAM with the Eye’s Keven Hoover and we had been thinking of forming some kind of local skeptics group but thought we might have trouble finding more than a half-dozen compatriots. Turns out there’s a whole bunch of us! But connecting with them will certainly encourage us to create this organization on some level and start bringing evidence based thinking out into the world through meetings, presentations and networking.
Skeptic Bloggers
As a web developer and blogger, I also plan to become more active on the Internet (not just on the walled garden of Facebook) by writing more on skeptical topics, helping to create web spaces for regional skeptical activity and using some of the new tools that other skeptic activists have been creating.
Here are some of the more interesting resources for skeptical activity that I plan to take advantage of and potentially participate in.
SkepTools: A blog dedicated to sharing skeptical tools and resources for skeptical activism.
Rbutr: Prounced ‘rebutter’ this web app “..aims to facilitate inter-website debate, guide users to rebuttals of dubious information, and indirectly influence our users so that they approach all online information with an increased level of skepticism and critical appraisal.” Essentially it links websites/pages with other websites/pages that offer contrary evidenced. You can find and post websites and their rebuttals.
So, I am making a commitment to do what I can. “Small Tasks. Big Consequences.”
Crowdsourcing Skepticism
Small Tasks, Big Consequences
