Fighting Fire with Google Play Services

The other day when we were sitting in the plane waiting to push off from the gate, I ordered an Amazon HD 10.1 tablet. I was prompted by the fact I'd turned my sister on to a photo editing app called Snapseed. I do love how easy it makes doing quick edits. However, I was unable to do much on my Asus 7-inch tablet because of the poor screen resolution.

I knew I needed something with at least 1080P and so many Android tablets come with pretty crappy screens. I noticed the Amazon Fire sported a standard HD screen and a bit more space for viewing the image. The new device arrived yesterday. I'm pretty familiar with Android devices but Amazon has really tied down this Fire. Of course, they sell cheaply in order to promote their series of services.

Getting to plain old stock Android is hard. In fact, after an update last night I lost the functionality of my replacement launcher. I guess I can get used to the Amazon setup. I did manage to add enough Google to the little devil to be able to stream music to my Minis and Chromecast. The Netflix app, however, refuses to cooperate by providing the Chromecast icon. There's been something in the news about the standoff between Amazon and Google soon ending. They are burying the hatchet and allowing each other's devices to cooperate. It'll be a while before that software makes it onto my tablet. Still, the Fire provides a lot of bang for a few bucks.

A New Product Category

I have recently recycled the old PC which used to be wedged between the TV and the wall. It worked well for watching Netflix via heavy component cables and digital output into my ageing HTS for DTS or Dolby. I only felt brave enough to chuck it after discovering my tiny, cheap, travelling netbook provided great quality through its HDMI cable. The only problem with this solution is I still often want to use my netbook when teaching at BCIT.

I now have a small, empty space in the TV stand because the new Telus PVR is substantially smaller than the old Bell satellite receiver. Hum. I used to think it'd be fun to build out a mini-PC based on one of the multitude of tiny footprint motherboards now available. Some of the cases are, well for the lack of a better word, cute! As I want to stream media from some US sources I have to hide my Canadian IP. I am a huge fan of Hotspot Shield as it allows up to five devices to VPN to other countries for a very reasonable annual fee. I can use the software directly on Windows as well as on my Android devices, such as my phone and tablet.

That prompted me to search for "Android box" on Google. Oh, the things you learn when you have a few minutes to research! I can probably live without another licensed copy of Windows 8.1 now. I learned about the following product.


The nerdy fun never stops! I want one.

Peeling the Orange

I finally know these characters. What a crazy crew! We once caught the initial episode but never ended up watching the series. I admit to binging a bit today. I just watched up through, The Chickening from the first year. They've been great on an overcast day at home. Now, I have many more hours to look forward to. Hasn't it been renewed again for a third season?

Downsizing and Modernizing

Today's entry continues a discussion of changes in our TV situation.

Knowing that we are going replace the old Bell PVR receiver with a new Telus Optik PVR, I peered behind the flat-screen. OMG! There were dust bunnies the size of .. well .. bunnies! About a hundred miles of cables and wires were covered from view by a well-placed board too. What a mess! It has been a jumble of wires and equipment since the end of 2009. That was the time I decided to use our old computer as a media server and get a laptop for the table for everyday use. It has served us hundred and hundreds of movies over the years!

Throwing the old PC box behind the television was supposed to be a temporary situation until I found a stand with enclosure enough to tuck everything inside. I never did. The old thing has been acting weird for years and was still running the pre-release evaluation copy of Windows 8. It no longer updated and would frequently shut down after a few hours of use. It had gigantic component cables running into the back of the TV. Today, when I blew the dust off it, I wondered why we were still using it. Some of the innards are almost a decade old.



In the spring, I bought a tiny Acer V netbook for vacations and to use during classes at BCIT. It has a small screen and is light enough to carry around easily. It runs Windows 8.1 but is surely no powerhouse. I have to wait and wait for it to boot up. The most intensive thing it usually does is PowerPoint presentations and a bit of web browsing.

Yet, it has an HDMI port for 1080p, a licensed copy of Hotspot Shield, and the Netflix app. Could the little underpowered device replace that ageing boat-anchor? Time to try. We're streaming from my American Netflix account presently. Consequently, I am a tiny bit sad by the realization the old box will soon go into the recycling bin. It has outlived its usefulness.

I have owned a procession of traditional, desktop PCs since 1985. It's a little difficult to imagine there will be none in the apartment.

In My Cult Collection

We watch more movies than most people, I assume. We have always consumed the majority in the form of video. That used to happen via Betamax and then VHS tapes. These formats were later replaced by DVDs and Blu-rays. Now of course, most of the titles we watch are streamed over the Internet.

It used to be hard to get hold of foreign and film-festival titles. Now, viewing opportunities have increased as there are quite literally thousands available on-demand. I find this a little amazing. Strange, exotic, and low-budget independent movies can now be viewed easily from the comfort of one's living room. This has sadly ended the need for urban, art-house theatres, I suppose.

The majority of movies, of course, are consumed just once. Yet, I have a few favourite, somewhat wacky, movies which I believe merit being seen every once in a while. The following stills represent three relatively under-appreciated pieces of cinema, in my own humble opinion. They were made between 1975 and 1982 and therefore represent a specific period of time for me. I recently discovered the middle one is currently available on Netflix. It's been a long while, so I will be looking forward to again spending 97 minutes with it.

Spotting Sci-Fi Scenery

It's not often that I make many comments about specific TV programs in my eJournal and images. Today, however, I discovered the second season of Continuum had hit Netflix. I'm catching up on the episodes about five months after they were originally aired on Showcase.



I love science fiction and I like crime dramas. These two reasons alone would ensure that I watch it. Yet, I find it even more compelling as it is entirely filmed in Vancouver.

It seems as though there's an enormous pool of television sci-fi talent here. The local area has been featured for decades in classics as: The Original X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, and much of the Stargate series. It is fun to see local landmarks in each production. In today's inital episode I noticed the Vancouver Public Library, the Burrard Bridge, Vanier park, and a neighborhood in Richmond.

In many feature films, Vancouver ends up as just a stand-in for other cities. With today's TV program, for once, Vancouver is playing the role of Vancouver.

Binging Brings Bonuses

My Nexus 7 makes the best remote I've ever owned. We're currently chromecasting an episode of Terra Nova. For quite a few months, we've been inhabiting the new world of television. Namely, we now binge on entire seasons of progamming over a short period of days or weeks. We began doing this before I came across the term.

It seemed silly to let broadcasters dictate when we had to sit on the couch. That problem was solved two decades ago by timeshifting, first to VCR and then on PVR. Still as the programs came one dribble at a time, there was an enormous break in continuity. Why bother with a weekly schedule? Actually, I think that binge viewing allows producers to attempt much more quality content. It allows us to partake in stories much more complex than a single movie could allow. Once liberated from set time and content restrictions, the sky's the limit.

Just Pick One

Recently, we've been watching a whole lot of TV over the Internet.

There's a lot direct from the TV networks, then we catch up on lost episodes on Hulu. Of course, we have long watched Netflix too. Of course, I have to use a VPN in order to get the US version. The Canadian version has only about one tenth of the content due to copyright restrictions, or some such.

I like being able to pick from thousands of films to find one that fits my mood. Today, I was obviously in the mood for a modern B-movie scifi, space flick.

Had you ever heard of Lockout?

Venezia

We are watching The Tourist (2010) on Netflix right now. With both that service and Hulu Plus, I don't know why we still have a satellite PVR. Who'd have guessed even a decade ago that everything on the TV could enter the house via ADSL modem rather than by an antenna or coaxial cable?

Anyway, back to the movie. It was panned by critics, I guess. It is rather unusual to see Johnny Depp without a ton of makeup. Angelina Jolie sparkles in a role where she can flaunt what she's got though. At this point the main attraction is Venice, Italy. When we visited in 2008 we didn't stay in a hotel quite as posh. One doesn't need fancy digs in order to see canals.


To see blog entries from the week this photo was taken, please click here.

Reminiscing

Way back in 2010, we used to order DVD's through an online website but each arrived at the apartment via Canada Post. How quaint! No, actually the adjective might be archaic.

I'm now spoilt by having access to thousands of movies via Internet streaming. For example, after a hard weekend teaching, it was time for us to choose a movie to watch this evening. I said I was in the mood for a western, and many were on tap for viewing on our own schedule.

We scrolled through just the front page before seeing a cover photo that looked promising. A single click brought up relevant data and reviews. Okay, Hombre (1967) it is. I cannot imagine going back to the days where we had to survive on crumbs of TV networks, or a trip to the video store (which incidentally are all closed now). Even the ease of picking up from the mailbox downstairs offered only several titles at a time.

I am not only spoilt by the selection, but I am finding it extremely difficult to remember how we used to live back in 2010.

I Love You, Kate!

My viewing of Star Trek Voyager (TV Series 1995–2001) was sporadic. I think I missed the first season entirely as I was still working in the Middle East in 1995.



I've only recently begun catching up on those early episodes on Netflix. From the onset, this show demonstrated some of the very best from the entire franchise. Unlike the later failed series, Enterprise, which was all action, the Voyager series started right off with plots that involve more brains than lazer blasts. The whole scenerio is perfect: being accidently thrown into an uncharted quadrant of the universe with a mandate to get home. People have an near human connection with the situation. In a different context, it worked with Lassie Come Home. Sticking to human principles in untested situations always proves worthy of exploration and is always food for thought.

Oh, and hands-down, Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), is the captain I'd most like to be stranded with in interstellar space.

More Musing on Media

Sometimes I'm more than a day late and a dollar short. In this instance I'm about eight and a half years late.

I think the television show, Firefly, is brilliant. It combines the genres of sci-fi space and the traditions of westerns. I think the show was a little masterful, with even the writing sounding a bit old west, except of course when they often swear in some sort of Asian tongue. I never saw the episodes when they were broadcast on Fox. Unfortunately the show was cancelled in 2003 after the eleventh. Only 14 were produced. Presently, I'm on episode 10 via Netflix. This is a prime example of how an emerging variety of video distribution will prove to be a boon to quality programming. It'll allow shows with a quality product but smaller audience to prosper.

I Grew Up in the Dark Ages

It seems as though I'm a little late to this party, but in this case a few years doesn't matter much. The US version of Life on Mars aired on ABC during the fall of 2008 through the following spring. I'm only up to the fifth episode out of 17. I am thankful to Netflix for letting me catch up on things I may have missed the first time around.

Earlier, I got involved in Mad Men just because the early 1960's seemed so well portrayed in that TV series. That decade is of interest to me historically but not really personally. I was too young to actually remember much about that period of time. The show I'm presently watching, although a cop show genre, really is about life in the NYC of 1973. That seems so much more relevant to me even though I was only in junior high school at the time.

Life on Mars really does make it seem like a different world. It's not all about the changes in technology. Yet, I do have to admit it's fun seeing old radios and an absence of computers. Every episode so far has dealt with changes in societal standards. Woman, gays, and blacks were treated differently nearly four decades ago. It's not completely foreign or strange but mildly irksome. Then, there are also little comments the characters make which slide right by quickly, but leave one pondering how archaic the times were. The main character asked an obviously pregnant woman if she knew what sex the baby would be. His colleague spoke first on the woman's behalf by saying, "No one can tell whether a baby will a boy or a girl before the birth."

Wow, dark ages, eh?

Ancient History: The 1970's

I caught just a fleeting glimpse of a US television program called, Life on Mars when it was being promoted a year ago. I remembered that it was a New York City cop show but with some sort of 1970's twist.

I recently noticed the entire series on Netflix, so I put it in the queue for instant streaming. Today, I watched the very first one. I found it appealing enough to know I will watch the additional 16 episodes. Without going into the plot at all, the show is just fun. It's interesting to see the world of 1973 recreated on the screen. Of course there are many technological differences between that age and our current one. The main character looks delusional when talking about things such as cell phones and mp3 players. Yet there are also many social differences. The youth of the day, and women's place in society were quite different.

Of course I've become hooked after the 44 minutes I just completed. People, of a certain age, have throughout history always enjoyed looking back on things from their youth. This show does that for me, of course. I was 11 years old in 1970, and, of course, 20 by the end of that decade.



This was, I think, the first new car my family ever bought. I took this photo and developed the flim myself when I was about twelve years old. (It's rather neat that I can include it here on the Internet in 2011.) The Ford Maverick was introduced in the 1970 model year. The photo was taken in our front driveway in Wendell, New Hampshire.

Futurama, I Missed You!

I tweeted the other day that I was a happy camper. The reason I was happy was due to the fact I discovered a whole new season of Futurama that I had not seen. I not only regularly used to watch the original seasons on Fox, but I also have copied a number of those episodes.

I was not as impressed with the interim releases of movies in the subsequent years after the show's cancellation. Somehow, the half-hour format better showcases the type of smart, sarcastic humour. I love the franchise because of the immense wit and all the nerdy-ness that it exhibits. (Is that adjective spelled with an i?)

You can guess at my delight in finding thirteen, unwatched episodes in the newest Volume 5. I didn't know that Comedy Central had ordered two more years of production. I discovered it only because half of these 26 shows have recently shown up on Netflix.

All hail, the HYPNOTOAD!

Seemingly So Ancient!

I might not have rented it on DVD, but watching it was as simple as clicking on its Netflix icon. I'm watching Cleopatra's entrance into Rome at the moment. What a production! I have never been much of a Liz Taylor fan, and this movie has surely had a spotted history. I had no idea it is credited as the movie which almost put 20th Century Fox out of business. To find out there are still missing hours from the decision to make two movies into a single version just makes it more intriguing. My interest could be related to the fact that when where were thousands of standby actors in a scene, there were literally thousands of standby actors in the scene! Life was so realistic before CGI. It may have a questionable script, and most probably suffers by having been cut into peices. Yet, if one likes spectacles, then this is a great way to waste most all of a rainy afternoon.

An Analog Guy in a Digital World

I'm going to be 52 years old in July of this year but I consider myself a digital native. I don't like hearing that phrase thrown around as if it's an age-dependent term. I didn't grow up with the Internet yet I've adopted it as if I had. In fact, if anything, my maturity gives me an added perspective. I do note, with exasperation, how poorly some of my generation have adapted to these technologies. I don't seem to quite understand how they don't get it. I obviously believe that digital rules!

For example, I am the middle of watching, Where Angles Fear to Tread (1991) on Netflix while typing this. I was not raised with the nearly infinite selection of options available today. In fact, if a movie wasn't in the theatre, the only way to see it would have been on one of the three US broadcast networks. Until I was in college there was no such thing as video tape. Now, I no longer need to schedule my time to match a showing. In the mid-1990s I never thought video via the Internet could surpass the tiny 160 x 120 pixel, RealAudio files.



See, I may not fit the definition of a digital native, but I don't have to be in order to enjoy an on-demand selection of what's available to me at the moment. I think there are over 11,000 shows available on Netflix right now. If I add hulu.com and the networks, my digitial television has never had such a selection of possibilities.

Netflix .com and .ca Differences

Doing nothing isn't bad at all. At least, it doesn't seem like a problem at the moment. I had nothing to buy at today's Boxing Day sales. Just about the only accomplishment was going to the Superstore in the morning. There, we did buy some Christmas cake and chocolates on sale.

In the afternoon, we streamed Centurion (2010). I signed up for the free trial on the US version of Netflix. In Canada, the newer service has a decidedly poorer selection of movies and shows. Due to licencing restrictions, they cannot offer the breadth of what's on the strictly southern version. Even more annoying, there is no way to make a listing of titles for future viewing. The US version offers this feature and it is extremely useful. I noticed a newspaper article in which a representative of Netflix Canada said they were not putting any effort into adding it either. It's like they are saying that Canadian consumers are second-class and do not deserve the same quality of service as the main company has.

The problem is one must use a proxy server and pretend to be in the geographic US in order to use netflix.com. By default my IP only allows access to netflix.ca.


I can run Netflix Canada through my PS3 but have to run the US Netflix on my media-center computer.

Resistance is Useless

I spent a great many of my days in the Persian Gulf working with Brits. Actually, they're not nearly as impossible to comprehend as North Americans are led to believe. Or maybe I was just lucky.

I'm reminded the occasional oddities at the moment as I'm watching the the second of six of the original TV episodes of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Twenty-nine year old British comedy remains an oddity. It seems as if Netflix Canada has penned a few agreements with the BBC. Although still amazingly odd, I fear that the British people are much less humourous nowadays. It might just be my age though.

Netflix Canada Fails at Social Media

The world is awash in the hip view that social media is the great new frontier for advertising and company/customer participation. There are endless experts willing to give advice on how the old relationships are changing. They raise a resounding chorus of how things are so different nowadays as companies embrace a people-focused Internet future.

The problem with all this noise is that I have a really hard time thinking of a real-life example. Let me think of an existing company that's recently opened up a new service in Canada. I'll look at Netflix Canada for inspiration.



For what I have seen by their implemention of a Facebook page, their foray into this brave, new world is relatively useless. Over 2,200 people like the Netflix Canada page. Whereas it has the potential to connect customers to the company, it is actually being used for little more than silly trivia. For example, there are discussion boards where people comment and have asked numerous questions. The problem is that no one has been given authorization to actually interact on behalf of Netflix. So, basically the forum has become a stagnant location for people voicing complaints. Surely, this benefits neither the company nor present (and potential) customers positively.

The promise has been dashed by the total lack of communication of their plans or ideas. Therefore, the potential is being totally wasted, and if anything I'm more frustrated than if I hadn't seen their half-hearted attempt to be social. A company should not venture into social media unless there are clear guidelines and an authorized flow of new, useful information. Staff must be empowered to actually participate on behalf of the company.

I would like to find out about licensing agreements, software innovation, upgrade plans, and things that affect me as a customer. Instead, today we're supposed to "pay tribute Leslie Nielsen with your favourite line or movie quote." Social networking need not be relegated to brainless hokum.

In my humble opinion, Netflix Canada, you have a lot to learn about using social media to your advantage!