Archive for May, 2009

The Great TV Experiment Part 3: Alterations 360

30th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

Here’s where we have some speed bumps. We’ve talked about the detachment. We’ve talked about conventional free television. Now we get into the part that makes this move more exciting these days. IPTV.

Now, IPTV as we know it today translates into your Hulu, CBS.com, Podcasts, iTunes downloads, Black20.com, Youtube, and so on… But the method for how you accomplish this will depend on a few things. That would be the hardware available to you, and your technical expertise.

The first method I broached was getting some computers resurrected from my own stash of hardware. At first, I had some success with an Athalon XP 1800. I realized I had the parts to get a Pentium 4 running, and proceeded to upgrade.

For reference, this is what I’m running:

Pentium 4 ~ 2.4 Ghz
512 MB RAM
Geforce 6200
Windows XP Professional SP3

In both cases, I formatted and loaded XP from scratch. Loading the newest Internet Explorer and little else.

Performance is key. If you’re sitting there and the framerate drops, or the resolution is worse than standard definition, you may have some issues enjoying your programs. When watching some shows from CWTV.com (Smallville, Reaper) there was no problem. But the videos didn’t run full wide screen, and a small player was installed into Internet Explorer. DailyMotion worked for the wrestling videos I catch up on. TNA Wrestling’s feed from SpikeTV’s site ran well enough. But Hulu. The big seller for this method, had issues. It was watchable, but Dennis Leary is sort of jerky as he bitches about the trials of a fireman. Finally, Hulu just released the new desktop player, with specs that outweighed what I had available as far as a spare computer.

So I decided to revisit an old friend in PlayOn from TheMediaMall. This is an option to works out a little better for the rest. This method works by installing on your PC and works as a sort of bypass for content to your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Having my Xbox 360 on an HDMI cable and using my more powerful dual core laptop’s background processes makes this a bit more promising. I’ve sat here working away at my web work, blog writing, and general surfing as the same machine processed and passed off Hulu and Revision 3 content for the last four days as we caught up on our shows and explored some new content, such as Scam School, and the old Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1. (Don’t judge.) The new plugin system that’s been implemented is what makes this even more intriguing. Revision 3 is the first official add on, but the message board leaves the door open to much more. I’ve added HGTV and Food Network (for Missy), GameTrailers and Adult Swim. It’s $40, and it requires that you already have this hardware, but if you’re a big enough of a technology buff that you frequent blogs like this, you’re probably a likely candidate for this. The shear volume of content is worth the one time access price. On top of what I use, you can access Amazon’s On Demand service, Netflix without an Xbox Gold account, (and on PS3), CBS, and ESPN content. I’m currently making sure all the bugs are worked out in the 14 day free trial, but that purchase is as good as made.

Is this the end all source of what you can do? Of course not. The most interesting thing is watching how these companies put themselves out there to see what sticks with consumers to deliver content to you. Keep an eye for what’s best for you.

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Anatomy of a Road Trip: New England Edition

26th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

This past weekend, the missus Sorg and myself ventured to New Hampshire to visit our friend, Miss Ashley Hoover. Last year, I presented the Anatomy of a Road Trip. Now, we are ready for an update.

Go Someplace New!

Our trips in the past have tended to take us down the usual corridors of I-79 and I-76 in the past with all of our trips to New York City and Western New York. This trip, I like to say that I had a chance to explore the rest of the state. Almost half of our trip was simply crossing Pennsylvania. Seeing the outlooks as we drove along, throught he Appelechians, the Poconos, past Scranton, and just north of New York City crossing the Hudson. Crossing into Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, all new states to us!

Conversation is still key.

For such a damn long trip at over 11 hours, we didn’t strike up the iPod as much as we did on even our 3 hour trip to Newville last year. Maybe it’s because there were only the two of us. Maybe because we were just enthralled with all of the new sights. Only when we sort of faded from eachother, surfing on our phones and such, did things get sort of tense. Turns missed, sour times. Thankfully, these were few.

Don’t be in a hurry.

Yes it was a long trip, and typically, I would allow for enough time to just stop and NOT be in the damn car for a good amount of time. Unfortunately, fitting the trip into Memorial weekend between our jobs proved problematic, given the long drive. This is a battle I wage all of the time.

GPS Makes it Easier.

Tom Tom. Garmin. Mike Mike. Whatever you have. For us, I was juggling Missy’s new iPhone and mine to cross reference as we went. Helped when we got lost in Boston as well. Having a local tour guide helped as well.

Something to Share.

Thanks to our give of a small Randy Orton to Ashley, thanks to her declaration of him being “Yummy”, the weekend was an adventure for lil’ Orton. And he didn’t poop in one gym bag.

Declare a Challenge.

On our first trip this year, out to New York City, Will declared to get something peculiar from each rest stop. In Boston, I was determined to conquer the Norm Burger at Cheers. On our way back, we realized we should have grabbed a lottery ticket from each of the 5 states we visited. Something to accomplish, and maybe a story about how it went.

Go Where Someone Knows your Name.

And I’m not talking about Cheers again. I’ve had the fortune to visit our friend in New York City three times in the last two years, and this time visited our friend of New England. It was great to have a friend who’d allow us to pull up some floor or a couch. It cuts the cost of your trip in half, sometimes, and you have someone to show you around that is familiar with the area. And meeting Ashley’s parents was a blast!

So that’s my amendments. I’m still not sure where the rest of the year will take me, but I’m open to some new possibilities…

Check out pictures from the trip on my Flicker page!

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Wrestling Mayhem Show 169: Mad Fan Mayhem

26th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

It’s LB and Sorg on the mic, bringing you the latest in Mayhem and wrestling! This week, we head into fanmail to discover an angry hobo, discover people’s distaste for the latest TNA show, Papuga returns for her weigh in on UFC 98 and our favorite new name to say, and then Mad Mike from Bronx, NY and Wrestlefan from Texas call in to talk TNA Sacrifice, the WWE vs NBA, and more as the show goes Skype Mayhem for the last segment!

Greetings from New Hampshire, Mayhemers!

This is Episode 169 for Tuesday, May 26, 2009. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.wrestlingmayhemshow.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com. Let us know what you think of the show, and your thoughts on the wrestling world by emailing us at goodtimes@wrestlingmayhemshow.com! Don’t forget you can find links related to the show’s news stories and more at our Delicious Links Page for Episode 169!

Randy Orton: Bad Boy

Blackout Sands, Sean Behling
“In the Meantime (feat. Sean Behling)” (mp3)
from “Who Killed Jiminy Cricket?”
(Clocktower Collective)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
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Great Northern
“Warning” (mp3)
from “Remind Me Where The Light Is”
(Eenie Meenie Records)

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Fever Geri X
“Train Hopping Hobo Song” (mp3)
from “Fever”
(24 Hour Service Station)

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Wrestling Mayhem Show 168: Kane Appreciation Day

19th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

It’s May 19. May 19!? That May 19???? We attempt to calm the burning fire as we present the first ever Kane Appreciation Day!!! To celebrate what could be the first official pro wrestling holiday, we color the studio red and recall our favorite moments of the first 12 years of Kane in our lives! We also take time to consider Indy Wrestling and how to put buts in seats, WWE vs the NBA, and the War on Ric Flair commences!

Remember, we have a new Question of the Week! This week, tell us what would get you and your friends to try out an Indy Wrestling Show? Send your comments and responses to goodtimes@wrestlingmayhemshow.com or on the Snapvine line!

Kane Appreciation Day 1
Kane Appreciation Day 2
Kane Appreciation Day 3
Fire Techno Dance

This is Episode 168 for Tuesday, MAY 19, 2009. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.wrestlingmayhemshow.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com. Let us know what you think of the show, and your thoughts on the wrestling world by emailing us at goodtimes@wrestlingmayhemshow.com! Don’t forget you can find links related to the show’s news stories and more at our Delicious Links Page for Episode 168!

Resistir

Vigilante
“Fire” (mp3)
from “Resistir”
(Still Alive Records)

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Potluck
“Fire” (mp3)
from “Straight Outta Humboldt (W/ Bonus Tracks)”
(Suburban Noize Records)

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Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Rhapsody
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Buy at appliedSB / Groupietunes
Buy at DownloadPunk
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Good Man's Journey Neil Carswell
“The Cain Preacher” (mp3)
from “Good Man’s Journey”
(Aspirion Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
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Buy at appliedSB / Groupietunes
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War on Ric Flair!!

15th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

Written for WrestlingMayhemShow.com…

As many who listen to the show are surely aware, we are in the great city of Pittsburgh, and are avid fans of our Steelers and Penguins. Well, upon my frequent viewings of The Pens Blog, I was made aware of something interesting….

Did you see that? On the big screen? It’s over. For the next two weeks, and I think I speak for the majority of the Wrestling Mayhem Show Crew,
We are no longer fans of Ric Flair.No longer fans of the 16 time world champion
No longer fans of the kiss stealing, limosine riding CANES FAN!

</thepensbloghomage>

And don’t get me started on this crap…

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Place Your Bets!!

14th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

It’s post draft. The old heads are out with injuries and rest periods. The young guys have the biggest chance as ever.

Place your bets.

The Miz

I’ve been a fan of the Miz since he was announcing Diva contests. A guy with a hug chip on his shoulder since he came from the Realm of Reality TV. He’s not the biggest technical guy, but he’s got the attitude and some ability.

John Morrisson

The other side of the puzzle. And going face? He had two matches at the ECW/Superstars/Smackdown tapings. Between this and the Miz and Morisson taking over tag wrestling on all three programs over the last year, you know this guy will get every oppurtunity he needs to get on top.

CM Punk

Last year, Punk got a novel title run, and won almost every title in the company in his rookie year. This could be the year he breaks out as a regular at the top if he keeps it up.

Mike Knox

He’s born with banshees and I am certain his beard is loaded. Say hello to the next Kane-level badass heal. Maybe not main eventer, but a regular foil for guys like Cena and Trips.

Christian

They spent little time putting a show’s belt on the guy. He’s just the right kind of guy to push guys like Jack Swagger, and anyone else coming up on ECW. He’s proven as a champ on TNA, and now we get to see what he can do Tuesday nights. Which brings us to…

Jack Swagger

Like him or not (I’m on the fence), Swagger proved why he’s been, and will likely to continue to be, fastracked up the roster.

MVP

It’s time. He’s been riding the mid card US Title train and proved he can be serious, entertaining, and a good match to watch. Tearing him down to brinng him back as a good guy was genius.

Who’s still on the bubble?

Kofi Kingston

He’s too Jamaican. But really, this is one of those talented individuals that just needs some character tweaks. If we start to see more character than, well, a character with this guy, he’ll be leap frog to the top.

Evan Bourne

We will see some amazing matches from this guy, but lets face it, he’s way to small for this group. No, I don’t see him becoming the next Rey Mysterio anytime soon. Bourne will become a very successful

THE Brian Kendrick

Someone believes in this guy. Though I’ll miss Zeke, and he was an interim World Champ back in that odd scramble last year, he has the same issue that Borne has. The oppertunity to entertain the hell out of you, but not the size to run with it. In the long run, though, Brian could have the potential to be a Chris Jericho if he exudes enough character…

Tag Team Wrestling

I don’t know what they want to do with the team swaps and title unifications, but the moving from title change to creating a new team (Kendrick/???) is not what we were hoping for. And what of Crime Time? Diva event emcee’s for life? Maybe R-Truth will join them.

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The Great TV Experiment Part 2: Free TV?

13th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

This is the part where some investment may come in.

As you know, the big Digital Television switch is finally happening in June. As mentioned in my previous post on the subject, I found that most of my television watching was on the major networks. A listen to the Mayhem Show would tell you we dig on Heroes. I would be out of the loop if I walked into the office the next day after The Office to get all of the in jokes we apply to eachother.

So I applied for the Converter Box Coupons, and applied them to two boxes for my standard televisions for our two bedrooms. (one for us, one for guests). Picked up a couple of antennaes, and here we go. Yes, it was a bit of money to get the equipment we needed to watch everything available, but that’s as apposed to the $6 for satellite access to those channels, or the $20 or so for the stripped down cable stations that provide the same…and C-Span?

Now, I grew up without cable or satellite until about ’96 when Primestar was finally an option. So I grew up on about three stations. Four when I messed around with rabid ears and watched my saturday morning Fox cartoons on a black and white television in the laundry room.

So I found it rather ironic that I was relegating back down to the same tech. But, to my amazement, I ran a channel scan and returned about 15 stations. I have the typical stuff: NBC, Fox, ABC, MyNetwork, CBS, etc. But the surprise was some of these “alternate channels” that are now available on the digital feeds.

Basically, with the new digital signals, the local television stations have the ability to transmit more than one feed. Some seem to just simulcast the standard definition versions of their main station. Others, like WTAE, broadcast a local/national weather feed. WPXI, my favorite use of the second feed, broadcasts the Retro Television Network. I can watch Knight Rider and Incredible Hulk every night after work now. WQED seems the most ambitious, as they put out an HD feed of their general station, and alternate “Create” station, and a local “Neighborhood” version.

The most fantastic thing is, as I’ve heard about leading up to this switch, I understood that this is the best HD that you could receive today. When you watch HD on your Satellite or Cable system, that signal is highly compressed to get you all of those stations. On the over the air HD, that signal is uncompressed. I spent ten minutes switching between the antennae and Dish signal for Jeapordy after first hooking up my antennae. Fantastic.

Yes, it sort of sucks that I don’t have DVR anymore. Yes, I don’t have the ability to time shift my watching. No, I can’t pause the show when my mom calls. But there are some other options I’ll get into that can replace them.

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Wrestling Mayhem Show 167: Super Duper Mayhem

12th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

The Mayhem Crew is back in the studio. We’re back from Smackdown, more are watching TNA, Super Indy is this weekend, and we’re less than thrilled with some things going on these days.

Remember, next week is May 19, and that means “Kane Appreciation Day!” LEt us know how much you appreciate Kane, your Big Red Machine memories, to goodtimes@wrestlingmayhemshow.com or on the Snapvine line!

This is Episode 167 for Tuesday, May 12, 2009. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.wrestlingmayhemshow.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com. Let us know what you think of the show, and your thoughts on the wrestling world by emailing us at goodtimes@wrestlingmayhemshow.com! Don’t forget you can find links related to the show’s news stories and more at our Delicious Links Page for Episode 167!

Abstract Rude
“Rejuvenation” (mp3)
from “Rejuvenation”
(Rhymesayers Entertainment)

Some changes.

7th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

There’s a new direction ahead.

Things are going to get cleaned up.

Including this place.

Some of the changes have been bubbling.

One big change happened tonight.

Stay Tuned.

Let the adventures begin again.

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The Great TV Experiment Part 1: Severence

7th May

2009

written by Sorgatron

So, if you have been following me on the Twitter, you may have caught that I have exploring the concept of life with out TV. Well, sort of.

The Reason

Ever since this whole (*finger quotations with me now*) “recession” and the whole “no bonuses or raises” and the whole “you might get fired/laid off” chain of events, I have been looking at our finances with every sort of sideways look to figure out how we could strip off some money from our monthly expences. We started with Sam’s Club. We attempt to pack more lunches instead of eating out. We recycle. We emplore the pets to get part time jobs.

I am an avid fan of This Week in Media for a few years now, and the concept of “living off the internet” for my television and slashing that cord has been implanted for a good while now. But I resisted. How would I watch my wrestling? My pay per views? My live sporting events?

Finally, I figured it out.

The Rejection

I wanted FIOS. The service was new and exciting and the bundling with my already existing FIOS internet would have saved some money. But they couldn’t figure out where I live, and hence, offer me the service. I couldn’t even get DirecTV for the bundling options and new customer deals. The pages for the service didn’t even have a clear way to order the service. And last time I talked to someone on the phone (as they advised me to do to clarify my address), we had some problems. Verizon services I love (sans Wireless phone). Verizon customer service can eat it.

If a company doesn’t make it easy to spend my money with them, they must not really want my business.

The Principal

I found that the majority of my television watching was encompassed with USA Network (WWE Raw, Burn Notice, Psych, etc.), Comedy Central (Daily Show, Colbert, Reno 911!), and the free networks I was paying $5 a month for (Heroes, Chuck, Smallville, The Office, etc, etc). Many times I found myself catching up with these shows on Hulu or network websites on my lunch break instead of visiting my DVR (which I also pay extra for). So I was watching for free something I was paying for to come into my house, then record, at home. This is what I call “Hulu-guilt”.

Suddenly, the $80 a month didn’t justify what we were receiving.

The High Cost of Cable
Our cable television bill is $65.82 per month. That’s $789.84/year.

The New Math: Cheap Alternatives to Cable Television

The more I looked at it, the more the idea of simply setting up a computer (though not a pretty setup at the moment), buying some over the air antennaes/converters, and keeping my Netflix subscription (upping to 2 discs at a time, and streaming via my Xbox 360), and picking up anything not provided with above methods via itunes (Law & Order, Reno 911, etc) I would have just as much, but more focused, television watching, no Hulu-guilt, and save a boat load of money.

The Disconnect

So, Wednesday night during the Pens game, I called Dish Network. Now, I’m not mad at Dish. I love ther service and they’re going to be the first ones I’ll likely call back when I return to TV Land.

I knew I was in for some fun when I connected to a “Customer Loyalty Rep” after telling a machine I wanted to cancel at least twice. So I let her go to see what they offered. I was doing the Top 100 (Plus just added for the Pens games), the starter HD package (love HDNet MMA and ROH) I was taken from my $80-ish bill to about $45 with the same package. Sort of amazed, actually. But I was done with it for now. The experiment would happen.

So the dive is taken. I’ve gone 24 hours without my cable television. I watched Office when it was on. I have the TV on while I work still. Is this really so different? Did I really just kill off the dead wood that may have not been appreciated and draining my bank account just for existing?

Stay tuned…