Buzz Out Loud 1450: Lick my 9Volt (Podcast)

Can you tell Brian Tong is back on the show? Actually, we're legitimately wondering whether a home-brew electroshock like battery licking could produce video game skill improvements like DARPA is seeing with their electroshock research. No, really. Also, Google shuts down Google Video, President Obama wants a universal login that's not Facebook Connect, and Match.com just got a whole lot more trustworthy. --Molly

Watch this: Ep. 1450: Lick my 9Volt

53:16

Podcast

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NEWS

Google is Shutting Down Google Video
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383691,00.asp
http://gigaom.com/video/google-video-shut-down/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/225451/google_video_good_riddance.html

Google now allows you to opt out of ad targeting via the Android Market
http://searchengineland.com/google-intros-new-privacy-controls-for-mobile-consumers-73156

Chrome OS nears release, but where are the Netbooks?
http://www.pcworld.com/article/225444/chrome_os_nears_release_but_where_are_the_netbooks.html

Another One Bites The Dust: Yahoo To Kill Buzz On April 21
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/18/another-one-bites-the-dust-yahoo-to-shutter-buzz-on-april-21/

Match.com to check users in sex offender registry
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110418/ap_on_re_us/us_matchcom_sex_offenders

Obama Calls for Secure Online-Identity System
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/04/obama-online-security/
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215858/Obama_s_online_trusted_ID_plan_greeted_with_caution?taxonomyId=17

Apple Reportedly Adjusts How Apps Are Ranked
http://gigaom.com/2011/04/18/apple-reportedly-adjusts-how-apps-are-ranked/

iPhone 4 About To Be Flickr’s Top Camera. Point & Shoots? Pretty Much The Opposite.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/17/iphone-4-camera/

iPhone 5 to have 8 megapixel camera and improved antenna, same old design?
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/18/iphone-5-to-have-8-megapixel-camera-and-improved-antenna-same-o/

Quick Hits

Dropbox hits 25 million users, 200 million files per day
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/17/dropbox-hits-25-millions-users-200-million-files-per-day/

Toys R Us ‘selling’ iPad 2, but getting one is a different story
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20054717-64.html

Samsung may sell hard drive business in wake of iPad http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/04/17/samsung.considering.selloff.of.hard.drive.business/

Time Warner Adds Channels From Fox and Discovery Back to iPad App
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/04/15/time-warner-adds-channels-from-fox-and-discovery-back-to-ipad-app/

Gadgets

Veer launch party scheduled for May 2; Update: AT&T confirmed?
http://www.precentral.net/veer-launch-party-scheduled-may-2-soon-might-be-sooner-you-think-1

Samsung promises a dual-core 2GHz smartphone by next year
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/18/samsung-promises-a-dual-core-2ghz-smartphone-by-next-year/

Science News

A 9V Battery To Your Brain Can Improve Your Gaming
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110413/full/472156a.html

First light wave quantum teleportation achieved, opens door to ultra fast data transmission
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/18/first-light-wave-quantum-teleportation-achieved-opens-door-to-u/

Happy Ending

Random Facebook User's Question Gets Four Million Votes
http://networkeffect.allthingsd.com/20110415/random-facebook-users-question-gets-four-million-votes/

Armenia Makes Chess Compulsory In Schools
http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/04/18/0336217/Armenia-Makes-Chess-Compulsory-In-Schools

VOICEMAIL

Colin the movie director discusses scarcety & the movie industry

EMAILS

Guys,

I love your show, but think you are way off on the DVD/Blueray or any other media dying because of streaming. The quality, consistancy and availability isn’t there yet, or likely to be in the next 5 years at least. I use Netflix streaming, mostly to catch up on past tv shows, and have been disappointed by the quality of it image. It also pauses and rebuffers often. I’m on Comcast and useing a hard connection, not wireless. The quality varies and is best before 8 am so I presume it is network traffic slowing it down. Based on my experience with tv shows there is now way I’m going to try and watch a movie with special effects. THere are no announced plans for Fios or other higher quality network in my area of Maryland. In D.C. Verizon says it will take at least 5 years to roll out Fios there. Then there is all the carriers limiting how much you’re allowed to download or reducing your speed after ‘too much’ data. The more people stream the more the carriers will scream about their networks being overtaxed and want to limit downloads and increase prices. I don’t see a resolution to these conflicting goals in the near future. I see Blueray or other hard media for at least 10 years. And there will always be folks who want to own their favorite movies.

Joe in Maryland.

—–

Hey BoL crew,

I was listening to show 1449 and I have two words to describe DVD windowing, Price Discrimination. Does Molly hate happy hour at bars, early bird specials at restaurants, door busters deals at big box stores and daily deal websites? All of these, including DVD windowing, allow producers to charge consumers different prices based on how much the consumer values the product and how sensitive to prices (read: cheap) the consumer is. Sure I would rather roll into the bar anytime and pay half price, but I am cheap enough that I am willing to go early or late to get the discount. Rather than looking at happy hour as anti-consumer, I think I get cheaper drinks at a nicer bar because the bar is able to charge different prices to different people. I look at Netflix as the happy hour of the movie business. If you care that much about the cost, it is worth it go a little bit later.

Love the Show,

Kevin

BT: Stats:

For the week ending 26th March 2011, here are the stats:

Percentage of revenue:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 18.69% vs 81.31%

Blu-ray sales total spending: $25.33 million
DVD sales total spending: $110.21 million

These stats available from here:

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/
(direct link to stats: http://www.homemediamagazine.com/fil…rch-041111.jpg)
http://www.isuppli.com/Media-Research/MarketWatch/Pages/Consumer-Spending-on-Blu-ray-3D-Video-to-Rise-533-Percent-in-2011.aspx

—–

In regards to Apple making a TV, a few people have pointed out that Apple has never licensed their software before.

Does anybody remember Motorola’s MotoROKR?

It was the first phone able to sync using iTunes and was marketed as the “”MotoROKR with iTunes”".

I’m not saying that it was a win for Apple, but licensing their software out to other companies isn’t unheard of nor unimaginable. It might be unlikely, but never say never.

Caleb B.

—–

http://bol.cnet.com, 800-616-2638 (CNET), buzz@cnet.com

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