Cablevision Sues Viacom for Making It Run Second-Tier Channels

ha ha the irony that consumers are forced to pay for 2nd tier channels to get access.


http://adage.com/article/media/cablevision-sues-viacom/240037
Cablevision Systems Corp. is suing Viacom Inc., alleging the distributor of MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon is forcing it to carry and pay for 14 lower-rated networks such as Palladia and VH1 Classic.
"The manner in which Viacom sells its programming is illegal, anti-consumer, and wrong," the cable-systems operator said in a prepared statement. "Viacom effectively forces Cablevision's customers to pay for and receive little-watched channels in order to get the channels they actually want."

Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire being filmed around the corner from us today. Will have to take the dog for a sticky beak later and see who is in the scene.

http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/55651

 

Australia....doing just fine?

Australia: Where the good life comes at a price
Australia has managed to come out of the global financial crisis without a recession. But as a result of its booming economy, the cost of living is extremely high.
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21519050


We were suprised how expensive some of the restaurants where when we were back last christmas, though to be honest...better food than most of the NYC places so worth it.

My only issue with australia is this obsession that your house price going up means you've made money....no you didnt you bogan just means you are paying more to the bank for your next place.

Amazon selling MP3's for 69c a song

Anyone know if the songwriter/artist etc getting screwed or is Amazon just selling these as a loss leader to get people weaned off itunes?



Amazon opens music store for Apple devices, songs start at 69 cents
Amazon is getting more aggressive in its attempt to muscle into the online music space. On Thursday, it announced a HTML5-based MP3 store that allows consumers to buy and play songs on their Apple devices.
- http://www.themusicvoid.com/2013/01/amazon-opens-music-store-for-apple-devices-songs-start-at-69-cents/comment-page-1/#comment-44876

Jeff Bezos pissing in the pool

Reading this article today is infuriating

 

US online retailers face sales tax

The sales tax exemption of United States online retailers could come to an end this year as legislative proposals to change the current status find greater support.

Called the Marketplace Fairness Act, the proposed new law would force online and catalogue retailers to collect sales tax at the time of transaction irrespective of where they are located.

- http://www.crn.com.au/News/333493,us-online-retailers-face-sales-tax.aspx

 

Amazon is only supporting this as they want to piss in the pool as they are getting out.

Its no secret that Amazon are wanting to move to 20 or so "local 1-day delivery warehouses" across the USA in the next 12-24 months as such they will have to be paying sales tax in these states anyway and want to drag everyone else into paying it as well.

 

Jeff Bezos sucks......or he's just playing the game, i guess that depends on which side of the political lobbying spending race you believe.

I swear the USA is the most corrupt country in the world....though here they just call it political lobbying.

Cheers,

Dean

#GunDebate

Whats more dangerous...a house with a swimming pool in it or a house with a gun in it....

Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt (the Freakonomics guys) get into the gun debate - http://on.fb.me/WPYlwE

Remember to put the glass down!

Wow this blew my mind, I love it.

 



A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."
It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

Raspberry Pi

This is what's inside the Raspberry Pi, the tiny $25 computer that could transform education: http://on.mash.to/VXpEkE

 

So far i've just seen people looking cool with it like by owning it they get some kind of halo coolness......sorry but what did you use it for after the first 2 weeks other  than stuffing it in your drawer as a forgotten bauble......

Thoughts?


Cheers,
Dean

Fuck the ebay-paypal stazi system!!

Had a dispute with a purchaser who bought something from me last week and wanted a refund but refused to ship the item back.

Once they opened a claim with ebay - Paypal took the $145 from my account even though the item has NOT been returned and ebay has said i'm in the wrong.

Fuck this duopoly i will actively be using every alternative app out there in competition with them wherever possible.

Burke’s Backyard goes out with a bang

Burke’s Backyard has published its final edition – and is going out with a bang.
The 15-year-old magazine, co-published by Bauer Media (formerly ACP Magazines) and CTC Productions - http://www.bandt.com.au/news/media/burke-s-backyard-goes-out-with-a-bang?

And yet the editor of the FT today was commenting on how their paid subscription number (both print and paid online) have never been higher in its 125 years. - http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/feb/10/financial-times-editor-lionel-barber

Its all protein folks

I find it really funny about how and where people choose to consume their atoms for energy
eg.

Horsemeat scandal: David Cameron says offenders will feel full force of law
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/13/horsemeat-scandal-david-cameron-food
and

U.K. officials raid slaughterhouse, meat processing company in horsemeat probe
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57569124/u.k-officials-raid-slaughterhouse-meat-processing-company-in-horsemeat-probe

Its all protein folks, if it tastes good and you didnt notice while eating....why make a big fuss.

As Zaphod would say..."cool"

Love when people see something like this and they still want to insist that we are the only ones here.......

What do you have planned for next Friday....make sure you are 15 mins late.

Bill Nye was just on CNN freaking out the host by explaining next weeks asteroid would decimate 2000 square miles if it hit and is flying closer than the cnn satellites at 17,000 miles.

Lol when he explained we are missing it by 15 minutes (eg if the earth was faster by 15 minutes it would be a direct hit she backtracked and stressed yes it could but for our viewers at home please understand this isnt going to happen and is very very unlikely to happen.....Bill Nye then explained actually its more common over 100 years than being hit by lightning......lol she cut the interview short.

More on the DA14 asteroid here - http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/07/us/asteroid-approach-earth/index.html

Ram trucks Farmers commercial

I dont care what comes after that "Farmers" commerical for Ram trucks.

Pivotal commercial of the SuperBowl with all the pathos that $4m commercials should carry.



BTW if you are still watching the game come and join in the Live Fan Chat at http://www.LiveFootballChat.com/go/19522

Travel crush

lol talk about "holiday travel crush" 3.4b people in the same weekend!!

 

 

 

Public transportation is expected to accommodate about 3.41 billion travelers nationwide during the holiday, including 225 million railway passengers.
- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/102774/8115291.html

Are you evolved?

i read this article a few days ago;

- http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/For-40-Years-This-Russian-Family-Was-Cut-Off-From-Human-Contact-Unaware-of-World-War-II-188843001.html?
For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II
In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taiga. Thus it was in the remote south of the forest in the summer of 1978. A helicopter sent to find a safe spot to land a party of geologists was skimming the treeline a hundred or so miles from the Mongolian border.....
Very interesting to see which parts of their lives broke down and couldnt be replaced.

I've been thinking about these issues a lot over the last few months.

Dont know if you saw the documentary Guns Germs and Steel but reading the book and theres a comment in there that struck me about how some tribes were not able to evolve into metallurgy...made me think...throw 100 Americans into a jungle today....how many of us could develop a metal spear or fishing hook or pot to make dinner in.

Very few i think.

But feel free to continue thinking you are evolved as you read this article on your iPad in your pajamas, but look around the room, if you had to-what if anything in that room could you build yourself.


Cheers,
Dean

Random

"Will you stop that scratching and give me a beat....... "

lol been way way way too long since i listened to Neneh Cherry. I love when my pc starts playing something so random that i haven't heard in forever.

"i give you love baby not romance".... - http://bit.ly/nenehcherry