Recent Comments:
How to reveal blocked caller ID info: a video guide to risky behavior {Engadget}
Jul 21st 2008 12:59PM The screwy thing is that CallerID is purely a consumer service on analog telephone lines. It's different from the various other accounting numbers that are transferred with every call configuration for billing purposes. (ANI is one of the real numbers if I remember correctly)
Way back when I had an ISDN line and callerid was relatively new, and not allowed in california for privacy reasons, I learned quite a bit for a layman about SS7 and what was possible. If you are receiving on an 800 number, the information is delivered to you so that you can keep track of all of your costs.
Since most cell phones only get a number delivered digitally, I'd be interested in knowing what that number matches up to? Perhaps it's the call billing number?
Loud commercials actually not that loud, just startling {Engadget HD}
Jul 2nd 2008 12:08PM So, since I watch nearly all of my TV in a room with a digital 5.1 channel surround system, and most of the sound comes out of the front three channels, I notice differing volumes just up there.
If I was an advertiser, and encoded my sound so it came out in equal parts from all 5 surround points, I'd certainly get the viewers attention.
"First" US WiMAX deployment goes live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming {Engadget}
Jul 1st 2008 7:01PM Doesn't Clearwire use WiMaxx? They've been in the seattle area for some time now.
Poll: Do you tune into OTA programming? {Engadget HD}
Jun 28th 2008 1:47PM I switched to OTA a few years ago, when I first got a HD tuner. Saving myself $50 a month in basic cable fees is nice. Laughing at the ComCast mailers that I get telling me how much I can save if I switch to them is good for my attitude.
Not spending quite so much of my time searching for thigns to watch is nice. I'm much more likely to give up and godo somethign productive.
The biggest thing I miss is knowing that there will be something on at 3am when I can't sleep. "Paid Programming" is just a reason to hit the channel changer.
NBC Olympics on the Go brings the Games to Vista Media Center users {Engadget HD}
Jun 24th 2008 2:22AM Damn, I hadn't even thought about the Vista64 issue. I'm running 64 bit on my video capable machine, and certainly am not going to think about 32 bit. (I'm running 32 bit on my laptop that's only got 2Gig ram)
Ask Engadget HD: Using a HDTV to distribute audio {Engadget HD}
Jun 18th 2008 9:10PM This was originally my question. Part of it that I probably forgot to ask was what use is Picture in Picture, or split screen, in the TV if the TV doesn't control which unit the sound is being produced from?
If the TV isn't switching the sound, what's the point of having anything other than a monitor anyway?
I was looking at the HP MediaSmart TV http://h20219.www2.hp.com/hho/cache/366142-0-0-225-121.html and thinking it would be useful to stream shows from a media server elsewhere in the house without an extra digital box connected to the TV. This was the first mention that I'd seen that the only digital sound output would be from the ATSC tuner.
I should mention that I'm looking at this all as a recommendation for my parents, and they are not going to want to replace their quite functional dolby decoding amplifier. I was just hoping that the cabling issues might be easier if I connected all the video devices to the tv, and the tv to the amplifier.
Half of government-issued digital TV coupons have expired before use {Engadget HD}
Jun 14th 2008 1:01PM While I agree you need an expiration of some sort, expiring in one year would make sense, since one year after they sent the things out the old analog spectrum will have been reclaimed. I know that when the tv in my kitchen suddenly doesn't work at all, I'll really weigh the thought of more wires / complexity vs not working at all. I currently only use that TV once every few months, so it just doesn't seem worth the hassle.
Poll: Have you had trouble locating a DTV converter box? {Engadget HD}
Jun 14th 2008 12:53PM My biggest issue was finding the price, and weighing it against the cost of gas and driving around. Describing what I was looking for on the phone wasn't useful.
Half of government-issued digital TV coupons have expired before use {Engadget HD}
Jun 13th 2008 12:44PM I drove 15 miles out of my way to find a box that I could spend $15 on after using the $40 coupon. I had hoped to use my second coupon at some point, but it has expired before I found a box that was really useful.
I guess I fit directly in that 50%.
The iPhone 3G on AT&T: we ask the burning questions {Engadget}
Jun 10th 2008 3:18PM Normally you just don't re-up a contract and ignore their prompts to try to get you to sign up for another contract or get a shiny new phone. Then you are purely month to month, and can take any offer you want for a new subsidized phone from any carrier you want.
