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Steelers Fan's Lament from the Afterlife Wins DIRECTV's Ultimate 'Displaced' NFL Fan Contest
Nationwide Search Leads to Lexington, Ky., Resident whose 'Fatal' Obsession with Steelers is Celebrated in Original Song and Video; Stands Out Among Thousands of Entries
For The Second Straight Year, DIRECTV's Unique NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM) Promotional Campaign Showcases NFL as America's Dominant Pastime
For The Second Straight Year, DIRECTV's Unique NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM) Promotional Campaign Showcases NFL as America's Dominant Pastime
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan 12, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A Lexington, Ky., resident with an undying loyalty to the Pittsburgh Steelers, was crowned today as America's Ultimate Displaced Fan by DIRECTV, America's exclusive source for the popular NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM) service.
A first-time entrant in DIRECTV's national Ultimate Displaced Fan search, Lexington's Phil Roberts wrote an original song and produced a one-of-a-kind video humorously portraying himself as a zombie lamenting from the afterlife about his death - the result of immense frustration as a Steelers fan residing in rival Cincinnati Bengals territory. The grand prize winning video can be viewed by visiting: http://www.ultimatedisplacedfan.com/videos/. DIRECTV's NFL SUNDAY TICKET lets displaced fans follow their favorite team no matter where they live.
Roberts, who even submitted a mock obituary to accompany his video submission, was selected from thousands of die-hard NFL fan entries from across the country in this promotion that highlights the uniquely passionate "displaced" NFL fans that maintain steadfast loyalty to their favorite teams, despite residing far away from the team's local market. Roberts' original song blamed his untimely, fictional death on his wife's decision to take away his NFL SUNDAY TICKET, effectively eliminating his access to his beloved Steelers' weekly game broadcasts.
The promotion underscores DIRECTV's exclusive and most popular sports subscription service, NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM), which delivers up to 14 games every Sunday during the regular season and caters to the passionate NFL fans living outside the market of their favorite NFL team. Fans competed for this unique national distinction by submitting written essays, pictures and/or video entries to www.ultimatediasplacedfan.com. The entries attempted to illustrate why they should earn the title of America's Ultimate Displaced Fan and a dream prize package, including a trip for two to the Super Bowl in Miami and a host of other once-in-a-lifetime experiences during Super Bowl week.
The promotion underscores DIRECTV's exclusive and most popular sports subscription service, NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM), which delivers up to 14 games every Sunday during the regular season and caters to the passionate NFL fans living outside the market of their favorite NFL team. Fans competed for this unique national distinction by submitting written essays, pictures and/or video entries to www.ultimatediasplacedfan.com. The entries attempted to illustrate why they should earn the title of America's Ultimate Displaced Fan and a dream prize package, including a trip for two to the Super Bowl in Miami and a host of other once-in-a-lifetime experiences during Super Bowl week.
"Winning DIRECTV's Ultimate Displaced Fan contest is like a dream come true. I've watched the Super Bowl on TV every year that I can remember. The idea of being there in person still leaves me in shock," said an ecstatic Roberts. "I put about 10 hours into my entry and never expected to win, but I guess my hard work paid off. Thanks to DIRECTV I get the chance to meet one of my favorite Steelers players down in Miami and it will be amazing. And now that I've won, I can return from the afterlife and once again enjoy NFL SUNDAY TICKET on DIRECTV."
Entries ranged from loyal enthusiasm to fanatical obsession - from a man who converted his entire home, inside and out, into a shrine to his beloved Vikings, to another fan who extended his duty in Iraq to ensure he wouldn't miss seeing his beloved New England Patriots play in the 2004 Super Bowl, this despite his wife's fast approaching delivery date for their first child.
As the Grand Prize winner, Roberts won a trip for two to Miami and tickets to Super Bowl XLIV. While in Miami, Roberts will be treated to an NFL fan's dream week where he'll participate in his own media tour at the Super Bowl media center's famed "radio row" alongside one of his favorite Pittsburgh Steelers players. Roberts will also participate in the nationally televised DIRECTV Celebrity Beach Bowl flag-football game where his teammates will include former NFL stars and Hollywood celebrities. In addition, he will receive a year of complimentary DIRECTV monthly programming, along with the 2010 NFL SUNDAY TICKET service.
As the Grand Prize winner, Roberts won a trip for two to Miami and tickets to Super Bowl XLIV. While in Miami, Roberts will be treated to an NFL fan's dream week where he'll participate in his own media tour at the Super Bowl media center's famed "radio row" alongside one of his favorite Pittsburgh Steelers players. Roberts will also participate in the nationally televised DIRECTV Celebrity Beach Bowl flag-football game where his teammates will include former NFL stars and Hollywood celebrities. In addition, he will receive a year of complimentary DIRECTV monthly programming, along with the 2010 NFL SUNDAY TICKET service.
While Roberts set himself apart with his highly creative submission, the following die-hard displaced fans were recognized with "honorable mention" status. Each will receive a DIRECTV system, installation and a year of complimentary DIRECTV programming along with the 2010 NFL SUNDAY TICKET service:
- Ted Ferreira (Lubbock, Texas) - A Minnesota Vikings fan who's dedicated every detail of the inside and outside of his home to the Vikings, including a customized Vikings John Deere tractor, Vikings themed entry gates, Vikings game room with purple and gold couches and five flat screen televisions, among a host of other Vikings themed home design elements and accessories.
- Jonathan Kent (Fort Sill, Okla.) - A New England Patriots fan that extended his duty in Iraq, despite his wife's impending delivery date for their first child, in order to watch his beloved Patriots play in the Super Bowl. Kent went as far as throwing a Super Bowl party for his command unit, and when challenged by an unforeseen power outage, traded rare military commodities such as hot water, cases of non-alcoholic beer and cigars to secure a generator from a neighboring unit.
- Greg Hymes (Keokuk, Iowa) - A Pittsburgh Steelers fan who displayed the ultimate spirit of fan loyalty when he and his wife traveled to Pittsburgh to be married atop Duquesne incline overlooking Heinz Field. Hymes and his bride-to-be, along with their entire wedding party, wore Steelers Jerseys. The following day, the wedding party went to the Steelers home opener against the Tennessee Titans.
- James Sutherland (Pasadena, Calif.) - A frustrated Seattle Seahawks fan who submitted a slick, well-produced video portraying himself driving through the concrete jungle of downtown Los Angeles while reflecting on his lifelong passion for the Seattle Seahawks and the true meaning of being a "displaced" fan.
- Reby Sky (Tampa, Fla.) - A New York Giants fan whose life revolves entirely around the Giants during the NFL season. Sky travels from her home in Tampa to every Giants home game throughout the year. Her obsessive love of the Giants was notable enough for MTV to recently feature her on the program, "True Life: I'm a Sports Fanatic." The episode chronicled her travels around the country as she followed the New York Giants. Sky also runs a Giants fan website and dresses up as "Super Girl" at every home game.
DIRECTV, Inc. (Nasdaq: DTV), world's most popular television service to more than 18.4 million customers in the United States and is leading the HD revolution with more than 130 HD channels. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy access to over 265 channels of 100% digital picture and sound, exclusive programming, industry-leading customer satisfaction (which has surpassed national cable companies for nine years running) and superior technologies that include advanced DVR and HD DVR services and the most state-of-the-art interactive sports packages available anywhere. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit directv.com.
SOURCE: DIRECTV, Inc.
DIRECTV, Inc.
Robert Mercer,
or
Leader Enterprises
Mike Whitmark,
SOURCE: DIRECTV, Inc.
DIRECTV, Inc.
Robert Mercer,
or
Leader Enterprises
Mike Whitmark,
DIRECTV
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2230 E. Imperial Highway , El Segundo, CA 90245
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Lifetime Supporter
Looks like dish is Bankrupt. Filling tomorrow Tuesday June 30th
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15184 views
Can't remember where or who I saw predict this.
It wouldn't surprise me to see Elon soon own all of DISH / Echostar in the future.
S
shattered.io
Starlink Mobile: 14 MHz Deal, No Phone Plan Yet [2026]
SpaceX agreed to buy up to 14 MHz of 800 MHz spectrum for Starlink Mobile. No Musk phone plan, price or coverage map exists yet.
shattered.io
S
AT&T, Rakuten tout integration with AST SpaceMobile for D2D
AT&T makes first call handoff to satellite with AST SpaceMobile and prepares for beta service, while Rakuten targets commercial launch in 'near future.'
www.lightreading.com
I was bewildered with all the new DISH TV "Bonus View" channels, so I put together a web page table with all the info I could find. It's at:
https://anythingpeaceful.org/dishtv/DISH_TV_Bonus_View_Channels.html
Here's a partial screenshot of the table, as sorted by Channel Name. (You can click on a column header to sort.)
If you have any corrections or suggestions, please post here.
https://anythingpeaceful.org/dishtv/DISH_TV_Bonus_View_Channels.html
Here's a partial screenshot of the table, as sorted by Channel Name. (You can click on a column header to sort.)
If you have any corrections or suggestions, please post here.
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6248 views
T
One Bonus View channel added today. And one correction (on my part):
One Removed:
My full list is at: DISH TV "Bonus View" Channels
BTW, not a Bonus View item, but there was a temporary channel 304 Spooktacular added, I imagine just for the Halloween season.
Thanks again to Pat for the many tips.
One Removed:
My full list is at: DISH TV "Bonus View" Channels
BTW, not a Bonus View item, but there was a temporary channel 304 Spooktacular added, I imagine just for the Halloween season.
Thanks again to Pat for the many tips.
T
Three new Bonus View channels today:
My full list is at: DISH TV "Bonus View" Channels
As always, thanks to Pat for the tips.
My full list is at: DISH TV "Bonus View" Channels
As always, thanks to Pat for the tips.
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Over the past year I have been tracking the changes on Western Arc. The past 3 months have had a lot of changes that I posted in the other MPEG2 Western Arc shutdown thread. Now that 129 is (basically) out of commission, here is where Western Arc stands. This is just a national channel list, (no local channels) based off what I can see and what others have contributed. Thanks to everyone who has helped me come up with the locations of some of the channels – I would try and list all of you out, but I know I would forget someone! As has been suggested in other parts of the forum, it would be great to collect the spotbeam data for those who could contribute!
A couple of pieces of info:
When I talk about number of channels on a transponder, all my numbers are unique channels – for example, channel 101 and 199 are the same channel mapped to two different numbers, but in terms of space, only takes up 1 channel worth of bandwidth on the transponder.
Finally, I have to give Dish a ton of credit. When it was 110/119/129, Dish had 82 transponders they were using – it took a lot to get it down to 50 transponders and figure out where all the pieces were going to go. What are the things they did to get there? Here are the things I saw:
A couple of pieces of info:
- Out of the 64 transponders between 110/119, there are currently 50 transponders that Dish is licensed to use. 22 are Spotbeams, 28 are ConUS transponders (14 transponders are licensed to DirecTV and Dish doesn't have access to them)
- Those 28 ConUS transponders are divided as follows:
- 10 are dedicated to National HD channels (ESPN, CNN, Disney Channel, etc). Dish is maxing out at 16 HD channels per transponder (note – in an earlier post I said there was one transponder with 17 HD channels, that was an error on my part. When I double checked my listings, one channel changed transponders). Before the transition, there was a maximum of 14 HD channels per transponder.
- 1 transponder is dedicated to adult content
- 2 are a mixture HD PPV Movies/4k channels
- 3 are set aside for HD Sports channels that are only on for live games (NBA League Pass, the PAC 12 alternate channels, some PPV events, etc); 3 SD PPV Sports Channels are there as well.
- 7 are for SD and/or music channels. Dish is maxing out at 26 SD channels per transponder thus far on the SD transponders.
- 5 transponders on 110 I have no channels listed but Dish operates. (they are labeled as ConUS on my chart below) There are other things that could be on those transponders, like RV Distant Networks, internal testing channels, etc, that I can't see. They might be able to be used for additional content, but I am not sure exactly what is on those transponders.
When I talk about number of channels on a transponder, all my numbers are unique channels – for example, channel 101 and 199 are the same channel mapped to two different numbers, but in terms of space, only takes up 1 channel worth of bandwidth on the transponder.
Finally, I have to give Dish a ton of credit. When it was 110/119/129, Dish had 82 transponders they were using – it took a lot to get it down to 50 transponders and figure out where all the pieces were going to go. What are the things they did to get there? Here are the things I saw:
- During this migration from 129, Dish converted 7 ConUS transponders on 119 into Spotbeams – that is how they ended up fitting on all the HD locals that used to be on 129. (for those interested, TP 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 are the ones that used to be ConUS on 119 that are now Spotbeam)
- Removed almost all SD duplicate channels that are offered in HD
- Converted remaining SD channels from MPEG2 to MPEG4
- There are also 2 subtle things that changed from the HD channel perspective
- At the beginning of the transition, Dish decreased the number of PPV Movie channels – prior to this transition the PPV channels HD PPV movies were 502-522; now they are 502-517.
- At the beginning of April when MLB, NBA, and NHL regular seasons were all going on at the same time and this transition began, there were a ton of games "joined in progress" for the HD feeds. That wasn't common since the days before the full time HD RSN's. The reason for that was prior to the transition, Dish had 4 transponders set aside for HD Sports – 2 transponders was the bandwidth set aside from the HD RSN's before Dish dropped the RSN's, then 2 transponders were for alternate channels. Now we are down to 3 transponders for HD sports.
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66190 views
Lifetime Supporter
Continuing the Kilauea thread in the Pub here. Perhaps the Iceland one too next time there's remarkable activity.
Currently there is precursory lava flowing into the crater, leading to the next episode that'll probably start within the next day.
You can see the pace of inflation / deflation here. It serves as the primary predictor for when the expect the eruptions, which coincide w/ inflation turning into significant deflation and last for several hours on average with significant fountaining.
www.usgs.gov
View: https://youtu.be/Uecu2seh4b4
Wife and I like the AfarTV feeds, for the discussion along w/ them, though they're otherwise just mirrors of the official USGS feeds.
View: https://youtu.be/iws3rh5vLAQ
Currently there is precursory lava flowing into the crater, leading to the next episode that'll probably start within the next day.
You can see the pace of inflation / deflation here. It serves as the primary predictor for when the expect the eruptions, which coincide w/ inflation turning into significant deflation and last for several hours on average with significant fountaining.
Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
For more information on how electronic tiltmeters and GPS receivers help monitor the deformation of Kīlauea volcano, see the HVO Deformation page.
View: https://youtu.be/Uecu2seh4b4
Wife and I like the AfarTV feeds, for the discussion along w/ them, though they're otherwise just mirrors of the official USGS feeds.
View: https://youtu.be/iws3rh5vLAQ
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3601 views
Oooo, quite the show now. All three vents have doming and overflows. The cone that built up around the North vent lost its upper quarter at 02:50 Oct 17 and is now spewing lava at a healthy rate. Don't know if I would say it's a fountain, but it's close.
edit: The USGS has called the official start of Episode 55 as starting at 03:19 HST Oct 17, 2026:
Alert Level: WATCH, Color Code: ORANGE 2026-10-17 13:43:56 UTC
HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice
Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Issued: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 3:43 AM HST
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2026/H488
Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m)
Area: Hawaii
Summary: Episode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 3:19 AM HST on October 17, 2026.
Volcanic Activity:
Episode 55 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 3:19 AM HST on October 17, 2026.
Fountain heights are relatively low at about 100-150 feet (30-45 m), and it is not clear whether this episode will evolve to the same heights as previous episodes. Continuous overflows from the vents began yesterday, October 16, just before 6 a.m. HST and transitioned into episode 55 fountains at 3:19 a.m. HST this morning. The current forecast is for winds are blowing from the north-northeast direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the south-southwest direction from Halemaʻumaʻu.
edit: The USGS has called the official start of Episode 55 as starting at 03:19 HST Oct 17, 2026:
Alert Level: WATCH, Color Code: ORANGE 2026-10-17 13:43:56 UTC
HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice
Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Issued: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 3:43 AM HST
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2026/H488
Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m)
Area: Hawaii
Summary: Episode 55 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 3:19 AM HST on October 17, 2026.
Volcanic Activity:
Episode 55 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 3:19 AM HST on October 17, 2026.
Fountain heights are relatively low at about 100-150 feet (30-45 m), and it is not clear whether this episode will evolve to the same heights as previous episodes. Continuous overflows from the vents began yesterday, October 16, just before 6 a.m. HST and transitioned into episode 55 fountains at 3:19 a.m. HST this morning. The current forecast is for winds are blowing from the north-northeast direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the south-southwest direction from Halemaʻumaʻu.
- All eruptive vents and lava flows are confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Tephra fall from volcanic ash clouds is greatest within 3 miles (5 km) of the vents, lighter ash and Pele's Hair may stay suspended for large distances from the vents.
Kīlauea seems to be returning to the "normal" eruption script, impressive fountaining from the North Vent. For once, the V2 Cam has the best overall shot:
The lava flows have covered a good portion of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor.
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Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68741 Replies
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2684375 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AzBMcXCMAc
Direct YouTube Link - Intelligent Machines 895
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AzBMcXCMAc
Direct YouTube Link - Intelligent Machines 895
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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4 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Now first, I'll mention that the area of FL I live in has extremely high humidity and not a lot of wind so things don't dry out very well for extended periods of time.
I'm in the process of tearing down and rebuilding a pergola with a surrounding deck that I built 9 yrs ago. 90% of the deck screws are just sheering off at the head because the screws rusted out. These are the deck screws you buy in the 25 lb box at your lumber yard. Very annoying. So I just ordered some 316L stainless steel screws to use for when I go to rebuild it.
I'm in the process of tearing down and rebuilding a pergola with a surrounding deck that I built 9 yrs ago. 90% of the deck screws are just sheering off at the head because the screws rusted out. These are the deck screws you buy in the 25 lb box at your lumber yard. Very annoying. So I just ordered some 316L stainless steel screws to use for when I go to rebuild it.
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55 views
Pub Member / Supporter
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14 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dMHcPrYfH8E
Direct YouTube Link - Apple Unveils New Touchscreen MacBook Pro
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dMHcPrYfH8E
Direct YouTube Link - Apple Unveils New Touchscreen MacBook Pro
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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7 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Post any of the deals you find here.
Right now HBO Max has some deals if you pay for the year. $165 for the top plan again
Right now HBO Max has some deals if you pay for the year. $165 for the top plan again
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1107 views
