blackout
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CBS goes dark on Dish Network in NYC and LA
After a number of extensions, negotiations on a new contract between Dish Network and CBS have fallen apart, and the broadcaster's signals are no longer available on the service in several major markets. That accounts for markets where CBS owns the stations, including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Dallas, Denver, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh and "several others." In a statement, CBS pointed the finger at Dish blaming the satellite broadcaster for dragging its feet, but we're wondering if CBS' plan for a streaming "All Access" service or the quirks of Dish's Hopper DVR and its own internet TV plans are really responsible for the hold up.
FCC unanimously rejects NFL's blackout rules
Well, that didn't take long. We reported yesterday that the FCC was taking aim at sports blackout rules this week, and today the Commission voted to nix the "unnecessary and outdated regulations." For nearly four decades, policies kept pay-TV providers from airing games blacked out on local stations. The rules also prevented that latter group from showing NFL matchups that failed to sell out at least 72 hours ahead of time. Now that the NFL no longer relies on ticket sales to drive revenue, the rules have been repealed to further eliminate blackouts for local viewers. As the press release notes, current over-the-air network contracts run through 2022 (FOX, CBS, and NBC), so the NFL won't likely make the jump to cable and satellite any time soon. If it so chooses, the league can create a private blackout policy (like MLB, for example), but it will no longer be afforded the protection of the government to do so. "Instead, the NFL must rely on the same avenues available to other entities that wish to protect their distribution rights in the private marketplace," the PR details. [Photo credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images]
NFL's archaic blackout rules face government challenge
For decades, the NFL blackout rules have been in place to encourage fans to attend games rather than watch from the comforts of home. According to Recode though, that could change this week. The FCC will reportedly axe the long-standing policy that keeps pay-TV outfits like cable and satellite companies from broadcasting local events that don't sell out. As the report points out, NFL fans are usually the most vocal about blackouts due to weekly showings on over-the-air networks (CBS, FOX, and NBC) and the 72-hour window required for a sellout ahead of kickoff. However, even after the rules are nixed, local stations will still be unable to show games that don't fill all of the seats. While the NFL's policies are tied to attendance, other leagues like MLB and NHL have rules in place to protect contracts with broadcasters. As you may recall, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler has already spoken out about the NFL blackouts, saying that the league "not longer needs the government's help to remain viable." [Photo credit: Rob Foldy/Getty Images]
GoPro's new Blackout housing is ideal for shooting those covert operations
Still mounting your GoPro on a helmet? Get with the times. There's like, a zillion other ways to mount that thing. Your choice is getting even bigger, too, as the action-cam behemoth has just announced a new "Blackout" housing ($49). As the name suggests, this is all about stealth filming. The dark, matte-finish case not only hides the shiny silver camera, but it also conceals all the LEDs, making it ideal for situations where lights or reflections can ruin a shot (such as startling wildlife). Bonus: It's also waterproof to over 130 feet. If you prefer to show your GoPro off in all its glory, then maybe the updated "Frame" housing is your thing ($39). As before, it's a minimal frame-like housing, but with the ports exposed for easier access. A new latch mechanism also makes it easier to lock in and release the camera. Lastly, remember that funky dual-case that allowed two Hero HD cameras to be combined for 3D footage? Well, a new version of that is incoming too, updated for the Hero 3 and Hero 3+ models. No price and date on that, but hopefully you'll have enough time to save up for a second camera to go along with it.
Time Warner Cable handing out free TV antennas and store credit during CBS blackout
Time Warner Cable may not be in a rush to end the CBS blackout, but it's not leaving subscribers out in the cold. The TV provider is now giving away a "limited quantity" of basic TV antennas in the Dallas, Green Bay, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and New York City regions. For those who don't snag a free antenna, the company is also offering $20 in credit toward buying a unit at certain Best Buy stores in those same cities. These sorts of stopgap measures aren't new, but they may provide some comfort to TWC viewers who aren't likely to watch CBS channels through cable anytime soon. [Image credit: Adrian Clark, Flickr]
CBS CEO calls Time Warner Cable proposal 'grandstanding'
If you thought CBS got a little catty yesterday after Time Warner Cable CEO, Glenn Britt, released an open letter to his counterpart at the network, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Les Moonves, released his own open letter today, in which he lambasted Britt and Time Warner Cable, accusing them of being "dishonest." Specifically, he called the proposal laid out by Britt a "a well-wrought distraction" and said he was not negotiating, but "grandstanding." He even called Britt's supposedly groudbreaking offer to go a la carte an "empty gesture." Basically, if you were hoping this drama between the two media giants would be coming to an amicable end sooner, rather than later, you're out of luck. If you'd like to read Moonves' tirade in its entirety, head on past the break.
Time Warner Cable CEO vows to end CBS blackout, proposes a-la-carte pricing (update: CBS calls proposal a 'sham')
Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt today sent an open letter to CBS CEO Leslie Moonves today, expressing a desire to resume negotiations and end the current programming blackout. In the document, which was reportedly received by CBS executives at the same time it was sent to reporters, Britt proposes that TWC make the network's stations available to consumers with an a-la-carte pricing model -- the cable company will hand over the entire tariff to CBS. While the terms are being discussed, Britt expects CBS to give permission to resume broadcasts immediately, and to re-enable CBS.com access for TWC internet subscribers as well. The bizarre "open" nature of this letter makes it possible to conclude that today's action was simply a public-relations ploy, giving the impressions that Time Warner is being generous by bringing this peace offering to the table. We imagine the situation is significantly more complex than this single-page letter would make it seem, however. Update: CBS has provided a short response to the letter, calling a it "sham" and an "empty gesture." For the complete war of words, check out both the letter and response in full after the break. [Photo by Jonathan Fickies/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Syria back online after a nearly day-long internet blackout
It seems unlikely that it's the last time the country will be cut off from the internet given its past history, but Syria does now appear to be back online following a nationwide blackout that began yesterday afternoon. As the BBC reports, state-run media in the country had attributed the problem to a "fault in optical fibre cables," but most have cast doubt on those claims, suggesting instead that it's much more likely the blackout was the result of a deliberate shutdown by the government.
Syrian internet access mostly restored, for now
History has a way of repeating itself, and the turmoil in Syria is proving no exception -- though potentially for the better. Following a communications blackout that began Thursday, reports have surfaced from Renesys, the AP, the BBC and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that internet and phone access has resumed across major swaths of the country as of Saturday. President al-Assad's office and rebels accuse each other of severing the links, although the US State Department doesn't see there being much debate: it believes the near-simultaneous cut was an attempt by Assad to disrupt opposition that has been using the internet as one of its coordinating tools. It's difficult to know if links will remain intact when battles inside the country are as fierce as ever. While there's some comfort to be had in knowing that technologies like satellite internet access are available if the lines go dark once again, we just hope that peace comes to the country instead. [Image credit: Aziz1005, Wikimedia Commons]
Syrian internet goes down, gets cut off from the world
The civil war-torn nation of Syria has seemingly disappeared from the internet. In a sign that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is trying to limit the flow of information and possibly increase its violent crackdown on opposition forces, all 84 blocks of IP addresses used by the nation have gone offline. The blackout was first reported by Renesys this morning at around 5:26am ET and the #SyriaBlackout hashtag has started picking up steam on Twitter as others have noticed. While it's unclear exactly what has happened and investigations are on going, and a nationwide outage is highly suspicious. The Associated Press is reporting that rebels are laying blame for the blackout at the feet of the government and that cellphone service has also been severed. We'll update as more information rolls in, but we wouldn't expect good news. Update: Akamai has provided more confirmation of the outage. As you can see in the image above, at some point this morning the amount of data coming out of Syria simply dropped to zero.
IBM announces Smarter Energy Research Institute, aims to improve energy grids (video)
IBM is no stranger to energy concerns, and now its founded the Smarter Energy Research Institute in partnership with Canada's Hydro-Québec, the Netherlands' Alliander, and the US' DTE Energy to help build a better grid. The partnership will leverage Big Blue's computing and analytic oomph to help the utility companies predict and detect anomalies within infrastructure, identify areas of the grid that need to be developed, integrate new energy sources and increase efficiency among other improvements. What's this mean for you? For one, power outages should be less frequent and shorter lived when they do occur. Thanks to the distributed nature of the project, research will be spread throughout IBM's worldwide network of research labs. If you'd like to hear more details straight from the folks involved, hit the jump for a video and the full press release.
Next season NFL will release All-22 game tape, relax blackout rules and start doubleheaders later
Even in the offseason we're still football crazy, and some news has leaked out that will adjust how we watch the NFL. Most recently, the Wall Street Journal reports the league has officially relaxed local blackout requirements, which reduces the chance broadcasts are turned off in a team's home area if they don't sell enough tickets. The new rules passed by team owners allow for local broadcasts even with ticket sales at just 85 percent, and while each team can set its own minimum, if it sells more tickets it will have to share more of the revenue with other clubs. Plans to get more fans in the stadium include free WiFi, plus mobile apps (those may cost) with game highlights and the ability to listen in on the sound from field level. Another change affects doubleheaders, as Fox and CBS will now start their second game ten minutes later than last year at 4:25 PM ET, hopefully avoiding interference with the end of earlier games. Finally, the league has revealed its NFL Game Rewind online replay package (available on Android and iOS tablets for the first time this year) will expand to offer previously restricted angles with its coaches Film feature. Now fans can see the game tape coaches use to evaluate their teams with the "eye in the sky" All-22 view that shows all of the players and end zone cameras. We'll see if a different viewpoint makes callers into sports talk radio any more knowledgeable about the game, but that seems doubtful. [Thanks, @RobZuber]
Virgin Media suffers three hour outage days after announcing super-fast broadband
Less than a week after announcing it would double customers broadband speeds nationwide, Virgin Media suffered a nationwide blackout that sent the network dark for most of Tuesday evening. At 5:00, the service dropped after router hardware decided it couldn't go on streaming the same episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show to the nation. The company admitted to the fault and service was restored by 8:00pm. Had it been smarter, it could have gotten away with passing the whole thing off as a SOPA protest, but we admire Virgin's honesty -- even if it did lead to the brilliant comment on Twitter pictured above.
Ludum Dare hosting anti-SOPA game jam, Notch is in
Wikipedia and a few other sites around the Internet will be going under a blackout on Wednesday to protest SOPA, PIPA, and any other legislation that threatens to shut down parts of the Internet for the interests of a few in power. But shutting down for the day is a less creative way to go about it, so Ludum Dare has a better idea: Why not make some indie games instead? The famous indie game competition is hosting a virtual game jam throughout the day, asking indie game developers (or anyone off from usual work) to make games inspired by the fight against SOPA. There are already a few submitted, and you can make and add your own, or see what other developers have done throughout the day. It's just a freeform jam, so there aren't any real prizes to be had, except that we all get some fun (or crazy, or hastily designed) indie games to play afterwards. The #sopajam hashtag is being used to follow the conversation on Twitter, and at least one major indie developer has taken up the cause himself. Last time Notch jammed on a game it turned into a real Mojang release, so who knows what we'll get this time?
Sports Fans Coalition intends to lobby against NFL blackouts
We know how it is, you have a big HDTV and inexpensive adult beverages at home and you just don't feel compelled to spend the bucks to go to the game in these tough economic times. We feel for you, but the NFL does not as your situation doesn't exactly pay all those player's salaries. Well, starting this Friday the Sports Fans Coalition, along with other organizations, plans to petition the FCC for change to the current blackout rule. The groups argue that since many of the stadiums are built with public funds, Joe Consumer has the right to watch those games at home. As is, we're mostly just glad the old NFL blackout policy, prior to 1973 that made all home games unavailable to the home market, isn't still in effect. Of course that doesn't mean that we believe the current blackout policy actually helps sell those $100+ tickets and believe the NFL might realize more profits if it sought out more modern supplemental revenue strategies.
SOE's services disrupted by massive California blackout [Updated]
A massive power outage that is affecting southern California this evening has severely hampered Sony Online Entertainment's services. The outage, which began during the late afternoon, has cut power to millions in San Diego, southern Orange County, and Palm Springs, as well as sections of Mexico across the border. Because of this interruption, some of SOE's MMOs and websites have gone offline, as SOE's servers are located in San Diego. The company sent a brief note over Twitter and Facebook saying that players might not want to hold their breath at regaining these services tonight: "The San Diego power outage could persist throughout the night affecting login servers, forums, and websites. We appreciate everyone's patience as the City attempts to restore power." According to authorities, power is expected to be restored by Friday. [Update: Some of SOE's services, such as EverQuest II, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Clone Wars Adventures, appear to be back up and running.] Update #2: SOE tweeted the following on Friday morning: "We appreciate everyone's patience during the recent power outage. Power has been restored and all services should be back online."] [Source: Twitter]
TUAW's Daily Mac App: Quiet
We've covered apps that help you focus by masking other windows in the background in the past. Quiet is another app that will blank out distractions and help you stick to the task at hand. You can configure keyboard shortcuts or use the drop-down menu from the menu bar icon to enter and exit Focus mode for a selected app or Space. You get a choice of "isolation" effect, with Quiet defaulting to Fade to Black. Focus Out is available as well as Wallpaper, which removes everything off screen apart from the window or space you're focused on and reveals the wallpaper behind. Where the Fade to Black and Wallpaper modes worked fine, the defocus effect caused some temporary disruption to certain apps, which made it frustrating to use. A warning is displayed up to say that "Focus Out demands a powerful Mac" (Intel integrated video not supported), but you don't get much more powerful than a 2011 top-spec MacBook Pro. That's an option to avoid for most, then. Quiet will "quiet" certain apps or all supported apps at your preference. Apps such as Adium, iChat and Skype can be selectively suppressed along with Mail and the GrowlHelperApp, which blocks all Growl notifications. Quiet will also set your instant messaging status to DND with the default being "I'm in The Zone." Whereas other apps, such as HazeOver, quickly isolate windows automatically, Quiet is a heavier, totally manual affair. If that's something you're after, then Quiet will do the job for US$3.99 from the Mac App Store. If you're after something similar for a little less money, check out the free Isolator.
Raid Rx: How to determine healing spell priorities
Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of No Stock UI, a WoW blog for all things UI-, macro- and addon-related. Following up from last week's piece on when to wipe, I want to take a closer look at healing priority in Cataclysm. Last year, I wrote an article discussing the different factors to consider when choosing your healing targets. I guess the question to ask is: Have things changed since then? Here are all the factors to consider: Inbound heals Cooldowns used Imminent damage Key players Accessibility There are bound to be others, but that's the main idea. Target priority hasn't changed much in Cataclysm. The question I continue to receive is what a player should actually do in terms of spell use. Let's do some healing analysis, and I'll walk you through what I do. Just do keep in mind that healing can have multiple right answers. Figure out what works for you and is effective for your raid group.
Pi Studios reportedly shuttered, ex-staff form Category 6 Studios [update: Pi Studios status unclear]
Houston-based game developer Pi Studios has closed its doors, reports Big Download via a reliable source. The studio had a hand in several notable titles, including Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Wolfenstein and the PS2 and Wii versions of several Rock Band games. Most recently, the studio was working on Bonk: Brink of Extinction, the 3DS version of which was reportedly canceled earlier this month. Assuming the report of the studio's closure is accurate, the XBLA, WiiWare, and PSN versions are presumably canceled as well. Prior to today's report, several former members of Pi Studios recently formed Category 6 Studios, led by Kenn Hoekstra. The new company today announced its first title, Blackout, an Unreal Engine-powered survival horror game in development for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Update: Additional investigation by Big Download and Joystiq has uncovered conflicting reports as to the operational status of the Pi Studios business. Pi Studios may still be operational but the extent of its operations remains unclear. Joystiq has once again reached out to Pi Studios for an official response."
The Light and How to Swing It: A holy paladin guide to Bastion of Twilight, part 1
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Light and How to Swing It for holy, protection and retribution paladins. Every Sunday, Chase Christian invites you to discuss the finer side of the paladin class: the holy specialization. Feel free to email me with any questions you want answered, like why all of Halfus' drakes don't wake up when they hear us fighting. I always have a tough time deciding how to compose my healing guides for raid bosses. Talking about holy paladin theory is fun, but at the end of the day, we're actually being thrown into real raid encounters. We're expected to know how to heal through the incoming damage and handle all of the boss' special abilities. Knowing the specific healing per second of Divine Light isn't going to help you keep your tank alive. At the same time, there's no point in turning the holy paladin column into an esoteric version of StratFu by giving you a play-by-play review of every boss encounter. Instead of boring you with a list of boss abilities that your raid leader is going to repeat anyway, I am going to try breaking down only what's specifically important for a holy paladin to know. You'll want to know when it's safe to use Divine Plea, when Holy Radiance is going to be most effective, and what you're supposed to dispel. Who should you put Beacon of Light on? Are any of our "Hand of" spells worthwhile on this fight? In addition, please feel free to ask any additional questions that you'd like to see answers to or add any suggestions.
