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Category: just for fun

  • Amazon Echo: giving voice to the masses

    Amazon Echo voice controlled speakerI enjoy technology as much as anyone, but I’m usually happy to wait until version 2.0 before laying out my money. But I took a leap with the Amazon Echo, a Bluetooth speaker with a voice interface and Siri-like artificial intelligence built in. Yes, I thought it would be nice to have around the house, and yes, it might be fun to play with. But I also believe that our future tech will veer away from screens, and wanted to see how far we’ve come.

    The answer is: we’ve come a ways, but have far to go. But I still really like the Echo. Here’s my experience so far:

    Echo ships in an elegant black package that’s worthy of Apple’s great packaging. To use it, you plug it in, install the Echo app on your smartphone, link it to your Amazon account and Wifi network, and then you’re set. You can use the app to create additional functionality by linking it to services like TuneIn Radio, Pandora or IHeartRadio. Echo is a bit bigger than a can of tennis balls, but it’s solidly built. It features a distinctive LED light around the top which lights up when it’s communicating with you.

    You don’t so much train Echo as it trains you. It quickly becomes clear what Echo can and can’t do by voice command. As long as you stay in its sweet spot, you’re fine. Here’s what it does: tell time, serve as a timer, play music (from the vast Amazon Prime library), play radio stations (via TuneIn Radio), offer a “Flash news” broadcast (from NPR or the BBC), look up things on Wikipedia, play music from Pandora and IHeartRadio. It also does some parlor tricks (tells jokes and answers trivia questions). You get Echo’s attention by using it’s “wake” word, which by default is “Alexa” (such as, “Alexa, play some Wilson Pickett”).

    Echo hears your commands easily and executes tasks quickly. It uses an array of seven microphones to hear you, even from a distance in a noisy room. As for its sound, it’s pretty good, better than any clock radio you may have, but not loud enough or hi-fi enough to be a primary audio source. I recommend it for bedroom, kitchen or office use.

    So why am I interested in this? The hardware is good, but the software has limitless potential. Amazon just announced Echo integration with Belkin WeMo and Philips Hue lighting, so you can now use Echo as a smart home hub. What else could it do? It all depends on Amazon’s ability to get third-party buy-ins. There’s no technical reason why Echo can’t control a Sonos whole-house audio system or a Nest thermostat. Through software updates, Echo could potentially become a universal voice hub.

    If you don’t like voice control, you can also control Echo through the smartphone app. This is also where you provide  provide account linking.

    I believe that voice technology is the key to unlocking internet services in cars, operating rooms, and anyplace else where your hands or eyes are occupied on some other, more important task. The technology also has tremendous promise for the elderly and people living with disabilities.

    The Echo is currently available to Amazon Prime members for $149 (the early adopter price for Prime members was $99). If you’re not a Prime member, it’s $199.

    UPDATE 4/17/2015 – I purchased a Belkin WeMo Insight switch for $55, and quickly got it running and connected to the Echo. Once configured, it permits voice control of anything that’s plugged in to the switch. If you walk in the front door laden with groceries, it’s nice to be able to say, “Alexa, turn the lights on.” The Belkin switch offers additional functionality (such as timer control or “away” settings for your lights, via the WeMo app). The Insight switch also monitors energy use through the switch.

    Pros: elegant package, easy setup, good sound, innovative voice control, comes with voice-capable remote, future upgradability via software updates.

    Cons: there are better Bluetooth speakers available, requires WiFi and AC power (no battery), could use an audio input jack (so you can play computer audio) and an output jack (so you can voice control your stereo rig), limited by Amazon’s ability to get third parties to cooperate (good luck getting Apple and Google to support it). Amazon currently won’t post user reviews of Echo, which undermines consumer trust in the technology.

    Read more:

    Echo page on Amazon.com

    ZDNet, Amazon Echo review: a perfect 10

    TheVerge, Amazon Echo review: listen up

    TechCrunch, Amazon Echo can now control your smart home

  • Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV: streaming away cable TV

    Your cable bill: it could be more than $100 a month. Is it worth it?

    If you have doubts, it’s probably not. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to become a cord cutter. There is life after cable. So let’s explore your options in a cable-free world.

    First, though, see if you fit the ideal profile for cord cutting: you should not be a live sports fanatic (cable still excels at live sports choice). You should be flexible about how you get your news. And you should live somewhere near broadcast stations that you like to watch. Generally, it’s easier to live with over-the-air (OTA) television when you live in an urban area – when you’re close to many OTA signals.

    Also, in general, the less television you watch, the easier it is to live without cable. But you already knew that.

    Still interested? Follow this path to cutting the cord:

    See which signals you can receive over the air

    Start by visiting antenna web.org. Here, you’ll type in your address. The website will show you which signals are available over the air, and then will suggest a type of antenna for best reception. This website is brought to you by the Consumer Electronics Association and the National Association of Broadcasters, both of these groups wants you to watch lots of TV (one of them, the NAB, hates the cable industry).

    You could also borrow or buy an antenna, connect it to your television (disconnecting your cable) and rescan your channel list from the TV’s setup menu. You’ll soon know which channels you can get. You may want to play around with antenna placement and rescan a couple of times. Use information from antennaweb.org to match your reception against available channels. You’ll want to focus on the channels that you’re most likely to watch, such as network affiliates. But you’ll also marvel at all the signals that you didn’t know about, many of them in foreign languages.

    If you live near your stations, you can probably make do with an inexpensive indoor antenna. Here’s a roundup of some of the most popular models, courtesy of Lifehacker. Most cost less than a single month of cable. Another good resource is the Wirecutter, which did a nice roundup of antennas for urban viewers.

    Get a streaming device

    Next you’ll want to be able to pull in programming from the Internet for display on your TV. For that, you’ll need either a “smart TV” or a streamer, such as the Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or Google Chromecast. I purchased a streamer because the performance of my Samsung Smart TV wasn’t very good (it is, however, an otherwise terrific TV). Streamers connect to your Internet signal either via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and send the output to your television on an HDMI cable.

    Which streamer? This depends on the programming you’ll want to watch, though most streamers will work with Netflix. Roku devices connect with most services, and the Roku 3 gets great reviews. Apple TV integrates beautifully with Apple products and features, but maddeningly doesn’t support Amazon Video or the new Sling TV service. If Apple is faulted for having control issues, Mozilla is taking an opposite tack, developing an open source streamer called the Matchstick. It’s too early to know what kind of support the Matchstick will get (it’s scheduled to ship in February), but the device will retail for only $25, so it may be worth a look.

    Get your subscriptions

    Now that you’ve got your antenna and streamer, it’s time line up some subscriptions. Netflix streaming ($7.99/month) is good for feature films and series television, all of which are commercial-free. Hulu Plus ($7.99/month) is good for current and recent television (and also includes the outstanding Criterion Collection of feature films). Hulu includes the participation of all of the networks except CBS (though some CBS shows, such as The Good Wife, are available). Hulu shows about half as many commercials as broadcasters.

    Sling TV is a brand-new streaming-only service from Dish Network. Sling costs $20/month and functions like a mini-cable package, offering ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Disney Channel, ABC Family, and CNN. Sling also offers two $5 add-on packages: one for kids and one focusing on news and information.

    There’s a surprising amount of free video available for streaming. Don’t overlook the PBS app, which simply requires that you register with your local station. Other subscriptions, including specialized packages, are available from the home screen of your device. This is where you’ll find baseball and other enthusiast streams. Unfortunately the easiest way to know which subscriptions are available is to test-drive the device or pay a call on an early-adopting friend.

    CBS, the strongest of the over-the-air networks, has chosen to go it alone, and offers its All-Access app for $5.99/month. HBO Go is currently available to cable TV subscribers, but is likely to soon be available as a stand-alone service for cord cutters.

    Given the ubiquity of fast Internet service and the proliferation of mobile devices and tablets, it’s likely that streaming television will grow. But since streamers don’t really cost much, and can take advantage of software updates, you’re not risking much by adopting today.

    Saving money is one compelling advantage of cutting the cord, but you’ll also love being able to watch your shows on your schedule. Streaming services function very much like a DVR, only they record every show, and your roommate can’t erase your favorite episode.

    If you have a favorite streaming device or online video service, share your tip in the comments below.

  • YouTube as a community (Michael Wesch presentation)

    It’s easy to think about a channel only in the way that you use it for yourself. That’s why I’m sharing this video presentation by Kansas State University anthropology professor Michael Wesch. He eloquently presents YouTube as a social community (or perhaps more accurately, a bunch of overlapping communities). If you just use YouTube as a place to store/embed your own videos, you are missing out.

    This is much more than a media “snack” (it clocks in at 55 minutes) but it’s well produced and utterly fascinating.

    Learn more at http://mediatedcultures.net/.

  • Apple TV and the near future of streaming

    The Apple TV product has slowly matured from a “hobbyist” product to something that might be useful to a mass audience. It’s a small box, about the size of a hockey puck, that facilitates the streaming of digital content from the Internet to your audio and video devices. The most common use is to stream Netflix movies to your television. But since many devices can do that, so far the Apple TV hasn’t seemed so special. The recent addition of Hulu makes it more appealing, but other streaming devices, such as those made by Roku, already have that – and many other services.

    AirPlay is the game changer for the Apple TV. This technology permits you to “throw” audio or video from your Mac, iPhone or iPad, to your audio or video system. The logical use is to wirelessly connect to a television so you can share a slide deck with an audience. It’s also a terrific way to share digital photos with family and friends.

    But dig a little deeper, and reframe a bit. What AirPlay does is turn your iDevice into a super remote. This is how I’ve been using it, and it works brilliantly (with a few limitations). Playing a YouTube video is a good example. Many other devices support YouTube playback. But good luck locating the right clip! With the Apple TV, you get the benefit of the superior Mac or iPad user interface. It’s much easier.

    I’ve been using Apple TV to stream audio – such as XM Sirius, Pandora and TuneIn Radio – to my stereo system. I have transitioned to a post-CD audio lifestyle. Virtually everything I listen to is streamed, either from these services or from my iTunes library. Apple TV features an optical digital out (Toslink), so if you have a good digital-to-analog convertor and a high enough bit rate, it sounds excellent. While Apple TV lacks the polish of the Sonos audio system, it’s a perfectly acceptable substitute if you only need to send a signal to one room (if you’re doing a whole-house audio system, run out and buy Sonos – it’s wonderful).

    Video is a bit more dodgy. Some apps – including Amazon Instant and HBO Go – have crippled AirPlay. This is one instance in which the audience is caught in between warring factions, such as Apple and Amazon. Hopefully customer complaints can help these companies see the light and restore this functionality. But you don’t have to be a genius to imagine the ultimate Apple television technology that was alluded to in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs.

    Your iPad (or something similar) is the remote. The rows of icons on the screen are either live streams, recorded shows or programming services. You see something you want to watch, touch the icon, and it appears on your TV. You can group the icons according to your personal preferences. Delete the ones you never watch. Watch on the iPad or on the TV. Do a quad split and watch four at once. All of these activities should be possible.

    This approach is intuitively appealing, but upsets the barriers between multiple industries: cable TV, networks, local affiliates, telecommunication companies and ISPs. This is one area where it would be a mistake to assume technological determinism, or the “if you build it they will come” approach. This is why, so far, integrated providers such as Comcast/Xfinity have the lead position.

    ________

    What you need to use the Apple TV: Wi-fi or wired Internet access (more bandwidth is always good for streaming); HDMI connection to a high definition TV (cable is not included); AC power; optical digital out is available if you want to use it. Many services require free or paid accounts.

    Cost: about $100.

    You might also consider: Three different versions of Roku box (less elegant interface but more open architecture); Sonos (superior streaming experience, accommodates multiple rooms, but for audio only).

    More reviews:

    CNET

    MacWorld

    Gizmodo: AirPlay is Apple’s “sneak attack” on television

     

     

     

     

  • The hot new handheld

  • Rest in peace: “you’re welcome”

    “You’re welcome,” long a popular part of daily speech and a polite acknowledgement to “thank you,” has died of natural causes after a long period of abandonment by the culture. It is survived by its distant relatives, “no problem,” “not a problem,” “uh-huh” and “whatever.”

    While “you’re welcome’s” birth date is unknown, the phrase first appeared in the 1907 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. During most of the 20th century, the phrase issued from the lips of the most genteel people in the world.
    But in recent years it has been in declining health, abandoned by the keepers of the culture. Even noted linguist Deborah Tannen gave up on the phrase.
    “You’re supposed to say something that minimizes the pleasure when you do something for someone,” said Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown University in Washington.

    “No problem” is a clearer expression of minimized pleasure, she said.

    When contacted, “no problem,” a night manager at Applebee’s in Plano, Texas, expressed little regret over “you’re welcome’s” passing.
    “If I don’t seem to care, well my bad,” he said. “Just saying.”

  • Presidential spokespeople: is there a handbook?

    No wonder reporters don’t like spokespeople! Evasion, redirection, and just plain sucking up to reporters, straight from the playbook of how to be a lousy spokesperson (the good stuff starts at about 3:50 in on the clip).

  • A Charlie Brown ad agency Christmas