So, the Apple TV does what it does very well, which is play all of your downloaded music, video, and podcasts. But, it seems to operate under the assumption that all media content you could ever want to consume fits in one of those formats. Unfortunately, plenty of content out there is not put into podcast form; you can't use it listen to KCRW on-demand music programming, or KUOW's radio stream. Some of this is driven by software, as well as copyright concerns; there isn't a copy RealPlayer on the ATV, and someone would probably try to sue Apple anyway.
Anyone know if there's a gadget out there that fits this profile? I have a suspicion the answer is "get a Media Center PC".
My Apple TV arrived today, and it's definitely a worthy investment if (a) you don't already own a "use my TV to play movies & music stored on my computer" device (e.g. Media Center PC, Slingbox, etc), or (b) you've bought some amount of DRM'ed music off of iTunes.
However, certain HDMI switches don't play nice with the Apple TV. When plugged into inputs 1, 2, or 3 on the Monoprice HDX-501, there's no video. Ports 4 or 5 work fine (other devices have the same problem).
Now, if Apple can just put together that update so I can browse the iTunes Store from my living room.
Back in the '90s—you remember, our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity—the most prominent Federal issue was the mammoth lawsuit against tobacco companies for marketing to minors, making false and deceptive claims about the health risks of smoking, and so on. The Clinton administration focused on the tobacco lawsuit for multiple reasons; smoking is a very serious public health concern; the revenue from the tobacco lawsuit could, in theory, go towards funding various health care initiatives; and picking a fight with Big Tobacco was good politics in the soccer-mom era.
Enter President Bush. Obviously he couldn't just drop the lawsuit outright; that'd be terrible politics, if not obstruction of justice. But he could gut the case from the inside. First they tried to de-fund the Government's side of the case. When that didn't work, then Attorney General John Ashcroft leaked word that the Government might settle. Somehow, that never came to pass. But as the trial wound down in the Summer of 2005, the Government experts suddenly reduced the value damages award they sought from tobacco companies ... by $120 billion. Public health watchdogs intervened, but this sort of interference certainly wasn't new. It got bad enough that the lead prosecutor resigned.
Now that Congress is criticizing Alberto Gonzales, said lead prosecutor has gone to the Washington Post with her complaints of political interference. Unsurprising, to say the least.
More substantive blogging later, but after my carping this past Sunday, a big up to everyone for basically ignoring the Hillary & Obama YouTube ads (tut tut, Ezra!). In all likelihood, these ads will have no impact on anything, but of course cable & network news dutifully covered the "controversy", since it involves a Presidential candidate, hot new technology, and attacks. Why? MDRTWBTLH [Matt Drudge Rules Their World -- Because They Let Him].
HRC did the right thing by waving at the whole mess.
Elsewhere, in the interest of solidarity, I'm pretty sure that certain words rhyming with "hitch" are out of bounds when referring to U.S. Senators, if certain words rhyming with "maggot" are as well. And why is Glenn Beck on the TV at all?
Last
updated by Nicholas Beaudrot on 05:58 19 March 2007