Look folks, I’m a real fan of DIRECTV’s Gemini boxes. They are the smallest, most powerful, and most energy-efficient boxes that DIRECTV has ever offered. They do the things that customers today demand. But even though I’m a fan, I’m also willing to admit that the folks at DIRECTV haven’t made it easy for you to know what you need.
Most of the folks who get Geminis will be new customers. As they sign up, they’ll be guided through a process that will make sure that they get what they need. But, that’s not a lot of help for our Solid Signal customers. I know that you shop at SolidSignal.com because you want to do it yourself. And, because you’re among the most devoted DIRECTV customers, you want to upgrade to the latest and greatest.
As...
The Solid Signal Blog
Get the latest on the world of Technology from our friends at SolidSignal.COM
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Filters
Show only:
Loading…
I talk a lot on this blog about grounding. I do it because it’s important, because I genuinely believe people don’t ground their stuff when they should. Proper grounding will help your home stay safe in a storm by allowing electricity to dissipate instead of building up. In the case of a lightning strike, it will also provide a path for lightning to safely go away from the house. Grounding won’t stop some of the damage that comes from a lightning strike, but it will help a lot.
The basics of grounding
Note: It can be confusing to use the word “ground,” because it refers to the act of grounding, the circuit that is used for grounding, and the surface of the earth. In this article I will use the word “dirt” when I mean the surface of...
Reprinted with permission from the Viasat blog.
Viasat’s new president, K. Guru Gowrappan, brings insights from his personal passions to his career and role as a leader.
Viasat President K. Guru Gowrappan
When K. Guru Gowrappan joined Viasat as president, becoming responsible for the company’s global operations and growth strategy, he brought more than his professional experience as former CEO of Verizon Media Group to the role. He also brought his personal passions, which have helped drive his career path through the years.
One example of this is his work as a board member at Water.org, a global non-profit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the word. A strong environmental advocate, Guru saw an analogy between...
Let’s get straight to it. It’s pretty simple, actually.
You have the right to put up any antenna or dish smaller than 1 meter (39″) in any dimension, in your private area, whether or not the HOA can see it. Period. It’s called the Over-The-Air Reception Devices rule (OTARD) and the FCC passed to make sure that you were protected from HOA and condo board abuse.
A couple of details
If you own your home then you have the absolute right to put up that small antenna anywhere on the house and to drill holes to your heart’s content. There are no restrictions to that at all.
If you share a wall or part of your dwelling is considered common property (like in a condo if the roof is shared) then you have to get permission to drill but there is...
DIRECTV can be a great addition to any investment planning office. There are many great reasons why satellite TV benefits your clients and your staff.
Are you a finance officer who has thought about adding DIRECTV to your investment office? If so, then you’re really on to something here. The satellite TV service is a great addition to any financial planning office’s lobby, breakroom, and personal office space. It entertains your guests and your team while providing you with up-to-date financial information at any given moment. There are many great reasons to have DIRECTV at your office and no good reasons not to, as you will see.
Signal Connect: the Commercial Satellite TV Experts
If you’re considering a commercial DIRECTV account...
Spam killed voice calls. You know it and I know it. A generation ago, it was exciting to get a call on your cell phone. You looked forward to it. And then, slowly, the robocalls started coming. “We’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warrranty,” they said. “You can cut your energy costs in half with a new federal program,” they promised. By the late ’10s I barely knew anyone who actually answered a voice call unless they knew the number. It was a waste of time.
And besides, we’d learned the joy of texting. Unless you were a teen in the ’00s you probably didn’t text a lot back then. It was hard to do with those older phones. Quite a workout for your thumbs. So, few of us did it. But with smartphones and full keyboards...
July 30 – August 5, 1994
This week Ken welcomes actor (Succession, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Rubicon) and all around fascinating human Natalie Gold to the show for her first ever podcast.
Ken and Natalie discuss YouTuber Natalie Gold, having the same name as somebody else, social media, how Miami isn’t Florida, growing up in Florida, Emerson College, Burn Notice, being a local child actor, Sheena Easton, rave theater, running lines with Jeff Goldblum, Ernest Saves Christmas, showing your children media, Christmas Vacation, shared interest friends, getting obsessed with Soaps, how OJ Simpson ruined so many things, Days of our Lives, turning into a panther, demonic possession, manning the complaint line, moving to NYC...
Regional Sports Networks are those channels that let you see your local teams on pay TV. Some, like YES and NESN, have been consistent successes. However most regional sports networks today are on the ropes. There are a lot of folks, myself included, who think that most of them will go out of business in the next few years. And honestly, I’m looking forward to it.
How we got into this mess
Back in the late 20th century (a phrase which makes me groan whenever I type it), pretty much all televised sports was available for free on local TV. Yes, some games were blacked out then much as they are now. But of those games that were televised, they were televised for free. If you wanted to see the Celtics and the Lakers battle it out in the...
Too many longtime pay-TV providers are giving up. They’re telling you to move to streaming. But is that the best move for you? If you want a better option, call us at 888-233-7563.
Listen to the podcast your way!
Just choose one of the following:
Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you!
Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below.
Amazon
iTunes
Google Podcasts
Overcast
TuneIn
Spreaker
Stitcher
Player.fm
Spotify
Option 3: Download the podcast in...
When you’re out on the water… often the last thing you think about is television. That’s good — you should spend time outside, getting fresh air and having fun. But hey, we all have a need to feel connected, and whether that is e-mail, web surfing, or good-old-fashioned TV, it’s hard to leave it on the shore.
Despite the ongoing stream of naysayers talking about the death of live TV, it’s still a big part of the entertainment landscape. Streaming, especially on the water, can be unreliable and costly. Live TV is where you get the best news and sports, the things you need right now. No one wants to be without the latest information.
That’s the best part… you don’t have to. SolidSignal.com has an incredibly expansive selection of the...
DIRECTV has been using SWM technology since 2009, which means that the service, now almost 30 years old, has been advocating SWM for about half its existence. And yet, surprisingly, there are still people in 2023 who are hesitant for one reason or another to use it. We get this question at Solid Signal pretty much every day.
What is SWM technology?
There are a lot of technical articles on this blog you can read if you wish, so here’s a quick overview. SWM technology allows for satellite signals to flow over a single wire. That wire can be split to increase the number of receivers or DVRs you have. It also allows for multi-tuner DVRs like the Genie 2. Without SWM, you would need to run seven cables from the dish to the Genie, which...
The summer’s here and everyone wants to get away from it all. But, getting away from it all doesn’t mean being disconnected. We all know it, too. It’s not 1995 anymore and we all want to stay in touch.
As vacation season heats up, we’re all faced with a simple question: do you keep up on emails or let them pile up and not think about them? A lot of folks sleep better at night knowing that they have put out any small fires at work so they’re not big fires when they return.
That’s why GOTSPOT and SIMTELL are so popular.
The GOTSPOT and SIMTELL devices from gotw3, and available at Solid Signal, give you the connectivity you crave for the things that need it. It’s all well and good to try to use your phone for everything but you don’t...
I recently explained the basics of a DIRECTV power inserter to one of the team at Solid Signal HQ. A power inserter, I said, is a pretty simple thing. It takes power and puts it on the same coax line as the signal from the dish. Before it does that, it transforms the 110 volt AC power to 29 volt DC power, but that’s no trick. Pretty much every cell phone charger does a similar thing, just with less voltage.
The whole thing with putting the current on the coax cable is a neat trick. It relies on a basic theory of RF transmission called “the skin effect” which allows signals to travel on the outer edge of a cable while power travels through the center. It’s also notable that the signals are coming down from the dish, while the power is...
Our marine customers love DIRECTV. What’s not to love? Satellite TV is a great value for boaters. It’s a lot less expensive than satellite internet and gives you hundreds of channels of live TV. Our marine customers often have two questions, though, and while they’re easy to answer, the answers may not be what you expect.
Question 1: What’s the best satellite receive to use?
There are two kinds of DIRECTV accounts: commercial and residential. Boaters who have their vessels in their own names are considered residential accounts. Boaters who put their boat in the name of a corporation are considered commercial customers. Even if you’re just doing it for tax reasons, putting the boat in a corporation’s name means a commercial account...
The post Affordable Live Video Switching and Editing appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
Right now, I imagine that you’re sitting on your computer at work, wondering why you can’t get cell service at your desk. This is a problem that about 75% of workplaces face, and it’s a big problem. Folks, this isn’t 1997. People rely on their cell phones to provide information and security. There was a time when employers actually banned cell phones in the workplace but that’s just impossible now. People need to stay in communication and cell phones are how it’s done. But hey, you know that which is why you’re so frustrated.
There’s a big move today to make sure that cell coverage inside large buildings is as good as cell coverage outside. It’s an expensive proposition to be sure, but cell service is important and it’s just one of...
As an RV newbie, I used to be a nervous wreck. I would freak out every time I had to turn a corner (right or left), or back my fifth wheel into a lot. I wasn’t used to having so much more vehicle attached to the back of my pickup truck. This anxiety made me so hyper-focused on driving that I ended up making many common rookie mistakes with my lines, hoses, and other things. Looking back on it, I see that I couldn’t get out of my own way enough to enjoy the RV life. I don’t want it to be this way for anyone who purchases an RV, camper, or motorhome these days.
As a former RV owner, I can’t bottle the confidence I developed after years of practice and send it to you. What I can do is tell you about some of the mistakes new RV...
Let me tell you, who wouldn’t want a Tesla Model S like this one? They’re handsome, go faster than most supercars, are perfectly silent, and best of all they never ever need gas.
Electric cars were a novelty ten years ago, but in some parts of the country it’s quite routine to see them. In addition to the Tesla, arguably the most popular car, there are tons more. Pretty much every manufacturer either has an electric model or they are planning one. Some, like Hyundai and Kia, have several. Ford has an electric version of the most popular vehicle in the US, the F-150. These cars all have one thing in common. They all promise low or no gas consumption and energy costs that compare to paying about 30 cents a gallon. It’s a dream come true...
Friends, this article will contain spoilers for The Power, which is available on Prime Video.
And let me be clear, I really mean spoilers here. I’m going to talk about the book on which the series is based, and why I’m mad enough to release electricity from my fingertips at this point about both the book and the 9-part series that is available to stream. So, if you are not interested in really knowing what goes on at the end of either, simply stop reading here. In fact, what I’m doing at the moment is just filling this article with words so you will have time to dash away if you don’t want to know how it ends.
The Power: The Book (and the ending)
I became aware of The Power, oh, it must be five years ago now. It seems like millions...
It being 2023 (as I pointed out in the title of this article), the chances are that you personally fall into one of two categories. You might have some knowledge of FTA from many years past. Or, you may not have any idea what FTA is and you’re curious to find out. Either way, come on in and enjoy the ride as we go through what seems like an article I did not expect to be writing.
What is FTA Satellite?
FTA stands for “Free-to-Air.” It describes a satellite system that became popular in the 1980s as an alternative to cable or antenna, before DIRECTV and DISH existed. With this system, you pointed the dish using motors and gears at multiple different satellites. Typically, the dish itself was large by today’s standards, between 10 and...
Don’t believe the naysayers. Satellite TV is the best, most economical way to get live entertainment up to 100 miles offshore. Cellular internet is great if you can stay within 5-10 miles of the shoreline. Satellite internet is great if you love spending $2,000 a month on enough internet to stream every night. Satellite TV delivers a great experience full of entertainment for about the same monthly price as a regular land-based pay-TV subscription. If you choose right, you’ll end up very happy. But, you do need to know the facts.
What makes marine satellite antennas special
The big difference between satellite TV on land and at sea is the satellite dish itself. Typically, you don’t expect your house to move a lot. That means you can...
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny premieres in theaters on June 30. It’s been screened at the Cannes film festival, and we’ve known the basic beats of the film for a while. But will it, put simply, suck?
What we know
The film takes place largely in the late 1960s, where we find Indiana Jones ready to retire. There is, apparently, a long flashback sequence to 1939, where a de-aged Harrison Ford delivers a performance that’s supposed to be identical to what you’ve seen from the first three films. There’s also Phoebe Waller-Bridge, a brilliant comic actor. There are hints that she will continue the franchise, if people want her to.
What we’ve seen
A lot of people...
Howard Hughes. If you know the name at all, you probably think of a crazy man who lived in total seclusion, or maybe you know few bits of trivia. The name doesn’t come up much these days, which is a shame because he was a model for a lot of the way that tech tycoons operate now. Before Bill Gates, before Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk, there was Howard Hughes. There was a time that his power and influence was everywhere, and the sad lessons of his life cast a shadow over others who came after him. When you look at a billionaire and assume they’re eccentric, it’s because of him.
The amazing achievements
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr., was the driving force behind the largest wooden aircraft ever to fly, the biggest-budget movie of his day...
Here’s a suggestion that doesn’t seem like it would make sense. DIRECTV does have an app for smartphones, as well as Roku, Fire OS, and Apple TV boxes. I’m telling you that you’re going to want to load it if you can, and you’ll thank me later.
Hey shouldn’t this blog be all about satellite TV?
Yes, it’s true. Solid Signal is one of the nation’s largest satellite TV dealers. And I stand by my feeling that satellite TV isn’t going anywhere. There are still close to 20 million households, and that means about 40-50 million people, who use satellite TV every day. That’s a pretty big number for people to say “oh it’s going away.”
But yes, there’s the internet and it competes for your attention. That’s why DISH and DIRECTV both offer...
It may be painful, friends, but think back to those days of 2020. The world turned upside down pretty quickly, and a lot of companies struggled to adapt quickly enough. (Anyone remember trying to get toilet paper?) One of the big successes of the time was gotW3. They were a “right place, right time” company offering cellular routers with true unlimited data plans exactly when we needed them. Most of us really didn’t realize how much our home internet lacked until we needed it to support two working adults and a spate of children all trying to use it for video at the same time. The solutions from gotW3, well, got us through it.
Those unlimited plans seemed too good to be true, and they were. It wasn’t long before the company shifted to...
The date was May 11, 2018. The world was a different place. In some ways better, in some ways worse, but definitely different. I was listening to music while looking for a subject for this blog. This song happened to pop up:
The song was about three years old at that time and still in fairly heavy rotation on a lot of stations. That’s right boys and girls, I was listening to something called “the radio.” Even back then I listened mostly to streaming but on that day I was feeling old-school.
By strange coincidence, I happened to see a couple of antennas, one shaped like an X and one like O. And so I wrote an article about it. Unfortunately, neither of the antennas I featured in that article back then are available at Solid Signal...
It’s funny, even though people love to forecast “doom and gloom” for the pay-TV industry in general, there are plenty of folks putting in new service and expanding the service that they already have. I get this question all the time, and although the answer isn’t completely straightforward, it’s pretty easy once you understand a few things.
What is DIRECTV Genie?
This was the original intro graphic for Genie back in 2011.
Genie is DIRECTV’s name for its DVR server and client system. The idea is that all the hard work of decoding and recording signals takes place in one box and then all the other boxes can be small, simple, and quiet. DISH does something similar with their Hopper and Joey system.
By doing it this way, the boxes...
Here’s one that comes straight from the support desk at Signal Connect. A customer came to us saying that every time they pull into the marina and put their boat into the slip, they lost satellite signal. They wanted to try to understand the problem.
Sometimes it’s the easy answer that’s hard to find
When customers call us or use our chat system, we try to go through every possible diagnostic step. We often start with rebooting their systems, because that solves more problems than you think. There are a lot of other steps we can take as well. There are diagnostic steps you can do, there are tests you can run. We’ve even been able to help customers check their wiring using the tools they have available.
Sometimes, though, the easiest...
March 25-31, 1989
This week Ken welcomes old friend, new fan, writer (film blog www.film5000.com) and host/producer of The Brattle Film Podcast Ian Brownell.
Ken and Ian discuss Siskel and Ebert, podcast heroes, movie freaks, the religion of cinema, growing up outside of New Bedford, Providence RI stations, growing up on a farm, not having cable, Evening Magazine, The Big Dan’s Rape Trial, Big Pinball, The Accused, going to boarding school, Jim Henson, The Storyteller, The Jim Henson Hour, being obsessive, not being able to watch things out of order, how the magic is gone after the creator leaves, voice actors aging, A Muppet Family Christmas, only being moved to tears by television, having two VCRs, anthology shows, film...
Solid Signal sells DISH remote controls. We have all the ones that have been available for the last 15 or so years. Most of them will work with pretty much any DISH box you have, but we have different ones so that you can use a remote that you’re comfortable with.
The series 21 remote
What you see here is DISH’s series 21 remote. It was the one to get if you had DISH service in the 2000s. It will work with newer devices, but it lacks some of the buttons that newer DVRs need in order to give you the best experience. If you want to use voice control, or go to your Hopper Plus to stream the latest entertainment, this remote isn’t for you. But, if you still have a ViP622 or ViP722 DVR from back in those days, this is what you’re familiar...
Hey, I’m just like you. A couple times a day I get a call from a number I don’t recognize. Thanks to some hard work by cell carriers, a lot of them show up as “Spam Risk.” I don’t even bother looking any further, and I bet you don’t either.
Recently, though, you might have gotten a call from the 248 area code and wondered who this was and why these people are calling, I can clear it up for you. It’s not spam. You might even want to answer the phone when you see that call coming in.
248 is Solid Signal’s area code.
Solid Signal’s corporate offices are in Novi, Michigan. That’s in the metro Detroit area. We’re proud to be a US-based company, and we have been since 2002 when we were founded. The 248 and 947 area codes serve our region...
They sure don’t make it easy. Luckily you have experts like Signal Connect on your side. Call us at 888-233-7563!
Listen to the podcast your way!
Just choose one of the following:
Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you!
Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below.
Amazon
iTunes
Google Podcasts
Overcast
TuneIn
Spreaker
Stitcher
Player.fm
Spotify
Option 3: Download the podcast in MP3 format.
Option 4: Paste the following link into your favorite...
Satellite TV in your RV is a great value. A lot of used RVs have satellite dishes built in that will still work with today’s service. New RVs can add satellite TV for a lot less than it costs to add low earth orbit satellite internet (like Starlink.) The monthly cost is really low, especially if you can just extend your home satellite service to cover your RV. (Want to find out how? Call us at 888-233-7563.)
DVR service for your RV is a no-brainer
Here are the facts.
RVs tend to be parked at night.
A lot of RV satellite systems only work when you’re parked.
TV antennas only work when you’re parked.
Streaming can be unreliable if you’re driving in the middle of nowhere.
So let’s put those things together and understand what you...
One of my favorite older articles says, “The problem with everything — yes everything — is the battery.” It was true then, it was true a decade ago, and it’s true now. If battery tech had improved at the same rate and in the same way as computer tech, we’d all have batteries the size of a pinhead that lasted for a month. But we don’t have that, and that’s the problem.
Look at any of the incredibly detailed teardowns over at iFixit and you’ll realize that most mobile devices are about 50% battery. Not only that, you don’t need me to tell you that it takes way too long to charge something. The fastest chargers for electric cars still take about 20 minutes to get you to 90% charge. The fastest cell phone chargers take about the same...
My hatred for Bluetooth is well documented, friends. Take a look at this article, and this one, and this one. The mid-2010s were not a good time for my relationship with this technology. Bluetooth itself was still a rapidly evolving thing and unfortunately that meant a lot of problems as it matured.
Things got a little better for me in the years after I wrote those articles, I got a new car, a new computer, a new phone, and threw out responsibly recycled all my old Bluetooth stuff. Of course that was six years ago and now everything’s getting old again. Sadly, the same problems are starting to pop up.
The one nice thing I’ll say
I have to say, Bluetooth LE has been a win for me. It’s integrated into a few things I have now, including...
Wireless charging isn’t new… despite what Apple wants to tell you. If you’re an Android user you probably already have a phone that does it. If you’ve been to Starbucks, you may have already used it since many of their stores have wireless chargers built into the tables. In fact, wireless charging hit the streets back in 2010 (and take a look at the slightly embarrassing video we did back then!) but it took several years before it was actually built into the phones themselves. Now that it’s here… should you use it?
No matter what, wireless charging is slow.
Apple’s phones will charge really slowly because they use an older version of the Qi standard that passes only 7.5 watts to the phone. Samsung and others use the new standard that...
The post Save $50 on Vehicle Cell Signal Boosters appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
Everyone’s talking about Starlink these days. I get it. It’s cool and exciting. Why wouldn’t you want to be able to stream at high speed from anywhere? But there’s some stuff they won’t tell you. I’ll tell you though, although I don’t think you’ll like it.
Starlink is more expensive than you think
Starlink advertises itself as costing about $150 a month. Now, that’s probably more than you’re paying for home internet already. (By the way, if you’re paying more than $50 a month for high-speed internet, you need to check this out.) If you’re in a really rural area, though, you might consider that to be a bargain since you probably can’t get high speed at any price.
They don’t tell you that the $150 plan probably won’t keep you happy for...
If you have a Blackmagic camera, you owe it to yourself to update it. You can download the latest camera software here. You’ll find the Blackmagic Camera Software as one of the downloads. It may not be at the top of the list depending on when you read this. But it’s worth the time and effort to do it.
Really? Now my camera needs an update?
I’ll be really honest with you, friends. I didn’t want to believe it either. After all, we surround ourselves with things that need updates. Two decades ago you would buy something and then it would just work as intended, for the entire time you get it. Now, if it has a plug it probably has an update every few months. It’s to the point where I have a laptop I just take out once a month to keep it...
With the advent of the digital age, smart healthcare services founded on the next wave of information technologies have become increasingly essential in improving resident health quality. Using a two-way fixed effects model, this research experimentally investigated the influence of regional smart healthcare services on local health and the underlying mechanism. There has been a surge in scholarly interest in healthcare service innovation in recent years. Superior healthcare services can lay the groundwork for national prosperity and social stability. However, the current conventional healthcare service system is naturally hampered by spatial limitations and unequal division of healthcare resources, rendering it impotent to react to...
ViaSat-3 is designed to expect the unexpected when it comes to bandwidth flexibility
Reprinted with permission from the Viasat blog.
What is ViaSat-3
With the successful launch of ViaSat-3 Americas, ViaSat-3 is expected to be nimble enough to move bandwidth to where it’s needed most.
With two more satellites expected to round out the full ViaSat-3 constellation, it is important to look back on how far we have come, starting with ViaSat-1.
Before ViaSat-1 came on the scene, communications satellites had low bandwidth capacity and were not really designed to scale to meet consumer, business, and government needs.
Viasat saw an opportunity to push the industry forward by maximizing existing technology to create ViaSat-1, then...
Marina owners should always look for ways to make their business more attractive to boaters and boat owners. While it seems that a lot goes into operating a thriving marina, your success comes down to two things: services and amenities. Does your business offer the best of both? You’ll know it when you do because your guests will keep coming back. To help you operate the best marina you can, Signal Connect lists the top marina services and amenities for freshwater and saltwater businesses. We also offer help in a few key areas of marina services. Check it out!
The Best Marina Services
As you know, marina services describes what you have to offer your guests and their vessels. Fuel isn’t the only thing these boats and boat...
It has been a fairly long time since I had anything positive to report about the streaming world. I hate to be Mr. Pessimism folks, I really do. But I call them as I see them. I think streaming video started with such promise, but the economics really never made sense. The whole streaming world was built on the idea that if you get enough subscribers, then it doesn’t matter if you lose money on each one. Sooner or later that whole thing was going to fall in on itself, and let’s be honest: it has. Prices are jumping up by double digits, content is being cut, and profits are still way down.
Except for Amazon. Amazon doesn’t report profits from Prime Video, because it’s a free service essentially. It’s a benefit of subscribing to Prime...
Reprinted with permission from the weBoost blog.
5G technology is a game-changer not only for individual users but also for the American economy. Current data estimates from the American Consumer Institute expect 5G to generate up to $1.5 trillion in additional gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, creating 4.6 million new jobs during that timeframe.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce expects small busiensses to be among the biggest beneficiaries of 5G’s improved connectivity and data capabilities, enabling them to tap into cloud computing, more robust online presence, and better operational efficiency.
A survey conducted by Verizon found that 96% of small and medium-sized business owners believe 5G will have a positive impact on their...
Because marketing that’s why.
Before I get any further into this article, let me explain something. There’s no law in the US that defines what “3G,” “4G,” or “5G” even mean. There’s no law stopping you from advertising a cell phone that gets 100G if you wanted to. The only law that really governs any of this stuff is the law that says you have to deliver what you promise to deliver. There’s nothing about misleading names. Got it? Let’s dive into what’s really going on then.
What is a “G” anyway?
The first cellular network in this country was built in the 1970s. Before that point, there were phones you could put in your car, but they were really just two-way radios. You’d contact a mobile operator who would place the call for you. The...
Marketing is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? It’s the art of giving you just enough information to make the wrong impression. There are marketers out there who willingly trade on what you think you know to make you buy something they don’t even understand.
Take the curious case of megabits, megabytes, and mebibytes. Mebibytes you say? What the frack is a mebibyte? Most people haven’t heard of them so don’t feel bad. Here’s a way you can amaze your friends at the same time turn off telemarketers.
Let’s start with the basics.
At the heart of it all is the bit. Bit is supposed to stand for “binary digit” but you know that’s made up — you know that the funny-cigarette-smoking computer guys in the 60s just came up with a food-oriented...
If you’re looking for proof that the internet has pretty much everything you’ll ever look for… here it is.
I was thinking today about the Marantz PMD 420. I happened to use this particular device at a job back in the 1980s and I remember it with great affection. At the time, Marantz was not a well known brand, but they made some of the toughest audio products out there. The sound was pretty good as well, as good as you were going to get from cassette tape.
The 420 was one of several devices from Marantz that were built on the same chassis. The 420 was near the top of the line, with stereo recording and every adjustment you could possibly want. For a portable device, it didn’t skimp. It had backlighting that you could turn off if you...
Back in 2013, we put up a video showing our office staff in action. At that time we were evaluating a little turntable and app designed to do time-lapse videos and this seemed like a good way to put it through its paces.
It’s fun to look at this video now. A lot of the staff are still with us but back in 2017 we moved into a new location that’s about four times the size. You can see even in 2013 that we were busting at the seams and believe me the crowding only got worse from there.
The video is also a reminder that the internet keeps everything forever. Sure, I could delist that video. I could take it down but chances are it’s cached somewhere. So, friends, be careful what you post. We’re proud of what we looked like five years ago...
Looking back, the last time I nagged you about grounding was back in October 2022. So that’s on me. I try to mention it at least once a quarter because it’s so important. Here we are in June and I’m just getting around to it. But hey, the warm weather is here so you have no excuse to wait any longer.
Why you should ground your outdoor equipment
The principle of grounding has been with us for a bit over 300 years, ever since the experiments that proved that lightning and electricity are the same thing. At that time it was proven that if you gave lightning an attractive place to strike, it would. And, if you took that attractive place and ran a wire down to the ground, the electricity would travel down that wire and dissipate...
I was inspired to write this article by two things.
The first was a random factoid that caught my attention. Back in the early days of television, I Love Lucy would commonly score a 40 rating. What that means is that 40% of all the humans in the country, whether or not they even owned a TV, were watching that show as it aired live. And this was the run-of-the-mill rating, not like a special event or something. Today, it’s very uncommon for any broadcast TV show to get more than a 3 rating. That’s a huge difference.
The second was this article at CordCutters News. It confirms that trend by pointing out that even if you look at a network-by-network basis the numbers are just appalling. And that’s what led to the headline of this...
