Episode 601: Europe gets its day
Buzz Out Loud's European army mobilizes to strike down the evil generalizations of Brian Cooley. Hey, plus you guys have iPhone now!
Molly Wood Former Executive Editor
Molly Wood was an executive editor at CNET, author of the Molly Rants blog, and host of the tech show, Always On. When she's not enraging fanboys of all stripes, she can be found offering tech opinions on CBS and elsewhere, and offering opinions on everything else to anyone who will listen.
4 min read
In today's episode, the Buzz army (European forces) mobilize to fight back against the rampant generalizations of Brian Cooley. Oh, and hey, you guys have iPhone now! Which you don't even need, because you get way cooler phones for far less money all the time. Sigh. In other news, Sony's CEO now says the high-def format war is in a "stalemate." That, by the way, is an official tune change.
--Molly
Listen now: Download today's podcast
--Molly
Listen now: Download today's podcast
 | EPISODE 601 |
TODAY'S LINKS:
TODAY'S VOICE MAIL:
Joe from Westside
What about ripping HD DVDs?
What about ripping HD DVDs?
Arioc
HD DVD players "down"convert. Why?
HD DVD players "down"convert. Why?
Mark in Denver
Could you get the truck ad with your own personal soundtrack?
Could you get the truck ad with your own personal soundtrack?
Brian
TiVo is an opt-in sharer.
TiVo is an opt-in sharer.
TODAY'S E-MAIL:
TiVo demographics
Before we get too freaked out by TiVo sharing your demographic information, consider that advertisers having better DVR usage information is a good thing. For usage data to be useful, advertisers need to tie this data to demo markets. This isn't significantly different from what Nielson already collects and shares from its participants today.
- Richard
Before we get too freaked out by TiVo sharing your demographic information, consider that advertisers having better DVR usage information is a good thing. For usage data to be useful, advertisers need to tie this data to demo markets. This isn't significantly different from what Nielson already collects and shares from its participants today.
- Richard
Fuel cell cars
Hi guys,
In episode 600, you guys were talking about Ford making fuel cell- powered cars. I live in Burbank and GM has a training facility on Hollywood Blvd, and when I was driving to work, I saw a truck towing a small SUV that had a big GM logo and decals that said "fuel cell vehicle" really big on the side and back.
So it looks like GM is already looking in that direction. Just thought I'd let you guys know. Keep up the great work.
Bryan
Hi guys,
In episode 600, you guys were talking about Ford making fuel cell- powered cars. I live in Burbank and GM has a training facility on Hollywood Blvd, and when I was driving to work, I saw a truck towing a small SUV that had a big GM logo and decals that said "fuel cell vehicle" really big on the side and back.
So it looks like GM is already looking in that direction. Just thought I'd let you guys know. Keep up the great work.
Bryan
Nothing worthwhile comes out of Europe?!
I felt so inadequate when Brian said yesterday that not much worthwhile has come out of Europe.
Perhaps he could thank us for the following token contributions to American life:
• The printing press, Johannes Gutenberg, a German
• Telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, a Scot
• Radio, invented by Marconi, an Italian
• Television, by John Logie Baird, Scottish
• Jet engine, Frank Whittle, Englishman
• The computer, by Babbidge, an Englishman
• The World Wide Web, invented by Tim Burners Lee, an Englishman
• and the iPod, designed by Jonathan Ives, an Englishman
You could also mention these staples of American society:
• Pizza is from Italy
• Baseball is an evolution of rounders--an English game
• Football is an evolution or rugby, an English game
Not much I admit but I'm sure America would rather not be without them.
One more thing:
Star Trek laser medicine You know on Star Trek, when someone gets injured, they go to sick bay where the Doc applies a laser beam and heals the patient instantly? Well we have had that in Europe since 1967--invented by a Hungarian http://www.thorlaser.com
Yeah, not much worthwhile comes out of Europe.
"James the laser"
I felt so inadequate when Brian said yesterday that not much worthwhile has come out of Europe.
Perhaps he could thank us for the following token contributions to American life:
• The printing press, Johannes Gutenberg, a German
• Telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, a Scot
• Radio, invented by Marconi, an Italian
• Television, by John Logie Baird, Scottish
• Jet engine, Frank Whittle, Englishman
• The computer, by Babbidge, an Englishman
• The World Wide Web, invented by Tim Burners Lee, an Englishman
• and the iPod, designed by Jonathan Ives, an Englishman
You could also mention these staples of American society:
• Pizza is from Italy
• Baseball is an evolution of rounders--an English game
• Football is an evolution or rugby, an English game
Not much I admit but I'm sure America would rather not be without them.
One more thing:
Star Trek laser medicine You know on Star Trek, when someone gets injured, they go to sick bay where the Doc applies a laser beam and heals the patient instantly? Well we have had that in Europe since 1967--invented by a Hungarian http://www.thorlaser.com
Yeah, not much worthwhile comes out of Europe.
"James the laser"
Oh, snap!
Oh, no, you didn't!
Brian Cooley didn't just say that Europe doesn't have great technology.
Have you ever heard of the World Wide Web, that little system we invented at the European Nuclear Research Center?
Ever heard of a Finnish guy named Linus who invented Linux?
Do GSM, Skype, UMTS, MP3 ring a bell?
You wouldn't even be podcasting if it wasn't for European standards and inventions.
Europe creates great technology that all companies can use and compete with (see GSM, see WWW, see Linux).
American companies close everything and try to suck every last penny out of the consumer. Hence we have better service than you do, it's called competition.
I'm not so sure I love your show anymore...
Jose Luis
(The European Geek)
P.S. I would have sent a European-created MP3 with a nice rant, but I lost my voice with the rage.
Oh, no, you didn't!
Brian Cooley didn't just say that Europe doesn't have great technology.
Have you ever heard of the World Wide Web, that little system we invented at the European Nuclear Research Center?
Ever heard of a Finnish guy named Linus who invented Linux?
Do GSM, Skype, UMTS, MP3 ring a bell?
You wouldn't even be podcasting if it wasn't for European standards and inventions.
Europe creates great technology that all companies can use and compete with (see GSM, see WWW, see Linux).
American companies close everything and try to suck every last penny out of the consumer. Hence we have better service than you do, it's called competition.
I'm not so sure I love your show anymore...
Jose Luis
(The European Geek)
P.S. I would have sent a European-created MP3 with a nice rant, but I lost my voice with the rage.
New TiVo service pricing
Multiservice pricing has been raised to $9.95 a month/$99 annual/$400 for the lifetime as of 11/8. Your reporting was correct.
I'm still happy I registered on 11/3 and got the $6.95 month pricing for three years.
I sure do like that I'll be getting a $200 rebate. (only on the Series 3 Tivo HD)
But my TimeWarner Cable rep told me that I will have to have a TimeWarner set-top box in order to see HD on my HD TiVo. CableCards won't do it, she said. Their Web site (oceanic.com) provides conflicting information about CableCards. While one page says it provides HD, premium subscriptions and all of the regular channels (no PPV, on demand, special packages, which is understood), the channel lineup pages marks all off the channels a CableCard won't get, which is most of them.
When I mentioned the FCC legislation, she replied that they only had to provide CableCards. They "don't have to provide CableCards that work."
Wouldn't you think after the July 1, 2007 deadline they would stop with this game? I told her she had better send a tech with two CableCards that work next week.
T.
Multiservice pricing has been raised to $9.95 a month/$99 annual/$400 for the lifetime as of 11/8. Your reporting was correct.
I'm still happy I registered on 11/3 and got the $6.95 month pricing for three years.
I sure do like that I'll be getting a $200 rebate. (only on the Series 3 Tivo HD)
But my TimeWarner Cable rep told me that I will have to have a TimeWarner set-top box in order to see HD on my HD TiVo. CableCards won't do it, she said. Their Web site (oceanic.com) provides conflicting information about CableCards. While one page says it provides HD, premium subscriptions and all of the regular channels (no PPV, on demand, special packages, which is understood), the channel lineup pages marks all off the channels a CableCard won't get, which is most of them.
When I mentioned the FCC legislation, she replied that they only had to provide CableCards. They "don't have to provide CableCards that work."
Wouldn't you think after the July 1, 2007 deadline they would stop with this game? I told her she had better send a tech with two CableCards that work next week.
T.
Parental controls
Hey Molly and Jason and (insert name here),
I have this great system for limiting my kids' (aged 14 and 6) time on consoles, computers etc. It works like this:
'Hey Maddie, no gaming until your homework is done.'
'Hey Jon, get off your GameCube now, it is dinner time.'
It works pretty well, and it cost me nothing! Perhaps I should patent it...
Dave (the psychologist)
Hey Molly and Jason and (insert name here),
I have this great system for limiting my kids' (aged 14 and 6) time on consoles, computers etc. It works like this:
'Hey Maddie, no gaming until your homework is done.'
'Hey Jon, get off your GameCube now, it is dinner time.'
It works pretty well, and it cost me nothing! Perhaps I should patent it...
Dave (the psychologist)