Samsung Chromebook Now Supports Extended Desktop

March 12, 2013 by Leave a comment

Samsung Chromebook

Samsung Chromebook (Photo credit: Cajie)

Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...

What a difference a week can make!  In recent months, I have been using my Samsung Chromebook to make presentations on a weekly basis.  This week when I plugged my machine into the external display, I was shocked to find that it did not mirror the image on my screen.

After a little playing around (I did not understand why it was behaving different from the last time I did such a presentation), I found that the external display was now an extended desktop.  Yes that’s right boys and girls, this was accomplished by an upgrade to the Chrome OS, and was done in the background without me even noticing.

To accomplish the same thing with my aging desktop PC, I would need to buy and install new hardware in the form of a card.  Not so with my Google powered machine!

By the way, I am using the “stable” release of the operating system.  This feature has been available in the development channel for several months.

Also, a fix is now out that allows users of Netflix to instantly stream movies on the device.  This feature was lacking, but the promised solution is now available for all.  Life just keeps getting better and better with the Chromebook.

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Fascination With A Farewell To Arms (Part II)

July 25, 2012 by Leave a comment

PART II (A Movie Review)

This is the second in a short series of posts related to the novel “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway.  In my first post on this subject, I reflected on the book and its continuing publication, following its release in 1929.  This is the book that made Hemingway financially independent, but personal tragedy plagued him as well.  As we have been taught in school, 1929 is the year of the famous stock market crash that precipitated the Great Depression.  After the book’s publication, Hemingway wrote a letter to his father telling him not to worry about money.  Unfortunately, the letter was delivered minutes after his father committed suicide.

In writing this post, I wish to focus on the 1932 movie made from the book.  At the time I am writing this, the movie can be streamed on Netflix and Amazon, and can also be downloaded from the Internet Archive website (this movie is now in the public domain).  It has been awhile since I watched a movie from this era, so it is important to realize some differences in how the movie is presented, as it contrasts from modern movie experiences.  The film is in black and white.  It has sound, but is not of the high quality we now expect in new releases.  Special effects consist of smoke bombs, concussion sound effects, and small models that require the audience to play along by using their imaginations a bit.  Still, it is a mostly faithful Hollywood adaptation of a book.

The movie stars Helen Hayes (who gets top billing in the credits) and Gary Cooper.  Some scenes are shot using language that is almost verbatim from the book.  Some parts of the book are omitted altogether (a necessity to keep movies at a reasonable length of time), and some parts of the movie are completely “Hollywood.”  By that I mean it differs completely from the book in sections.  Films of this era were subject to censorship, and credits show that this movie was “approved” for release to audiences.  It needed to go through editing revisions before receiving the “approval”, however.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Some audiences responded negatively to the bleak ending where Catherine Barkley (the main character’s love interest) dies.  An alternate ending was provided to many theater operators where she survives, turning it into a happy ending.  Hemingway was reportedly furious over the movie studio’s decision to alter the ending of the story.

Despite approval from censors, the film was still banned in Australia and British Columbia (where Hemingway’s book was also banned).  The book was also banned in Italy for its portrayal of the Italian retreat from Caporetto. In the United States, the main objection to the book was for its portrayal of sex, and its “vulgarity.”

Despite great advances in artists being able to express themselves freely, modern censorship cloaks itself in the shroud of “political correctness.”  Despite the censorship, Hemingway continued to gain in popularity, and his work endures today.

In my opinion, it is unlikely that self appointed censors of the political left will successfully stamp out the popularity of proponents of traditional values any more than censors of the political right could stamp out the popularity of novels by such people as Ernest Hemingway (who the lefties now disfavor for his portrayal of women and homosexuality.)

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Despite Price Increase, Netflix Still A Good Value


					

						

							July 20, 2011
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In 1998 Reed Hastings founded Netflix, the lar...
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For several years, off and on, I have been a customer of Netflix.  As technology changes, they are adapting their business model.  They now offer both Blu-ray and regular DVD’s.  In addition, many movies and TV shows are available through online streaming.  For the past couple of years, I have been on the one DVD at a time plan, which offers unlimited streaming.  Starting soon, the cost of these services will dramatically increase.  My current plan costs about $10 per month, but to keep what I have now, I would need to absorb an approximate 60% price increase.


Netflix is separating DVD plans from streaming.  I can keep my one DVD at a time, or I can have streaming; or I can keep both and pay the increase.  Netflix has not offered any spin to suggest that this is in any way beneficial to customers.  In fact, they said in an email to customers, that the new prices are meant to reflect the costs of providing each service.  (They could have said that they would be able to provide more content online with the price increase, but it is interesting that they did not.)


I have generally been happy with Netflix, and utilize a box connected to my TV to stream content.  I do not watch much broadcast TV, and do not subscribe to cable or satellite services.  Since Netflix announced their price increase, I shopped around to see what alternatives exist for people like me.


For DVD’s, there is a service called GreenCine.  They offer a similar plan to Netflix, one DVD by mail at a time, for about $10 per month.  They are not as “mainstream” as Netflix, though.  They have more independent and alternative movie content.  Sounds OK, but I like the offerings from Netflix, and the cost is about the same.  No compelling reason for me to switch.


For streaming, Amazon offers Instant Video.  New releases can generally be rented for about $4, and purchased for $10-$15.  A bit pricey if you watch more than two movies per month though.  However, if a person pays an annual fee for Amazon Prime, they can get access to a Netflix style library of mostly older movies and TV shows for unlimited viewing.  (Prime customers also get free two day shipping on Amazon orders.)  Amazon Prime costs $79 per year, which is cheaper than Netflix.  The available library at Netflix is still much larger though.  For the Amazon junkie though, the value of Prime seems like a good one.  I like Amazon, but not so much as to take the plunge on a Prime account.  At least not yet.  If they add more titles to their unlimited streaming, I could see signing up for it.


For the immediate future, I think I will get new releases on DVD from Redbox, where I can rent them for about $1 per night.  For older content, I will keep streaming from Netflix, but drop their DVDs altogether.  In the coming months, Redbox is planning to start its own streaming service.  How that will compare to what Netflix is offering is yet to be seen.  Also, Amazon will keep adding to its online content, and is not to be ignored.


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Redbox vs. Netflix


					

						

							December 26, 2009
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Versus




Like many red-blooded American males, I enjoy watching movies as a form of entertainment.  At one point in my life, for a short time, I even took a job managing a 10 screen multiplex.  (This was before I moved to Sunnyside.)


However, the love of watching movies has remained, and occasionally I find time to sit and watch one.  At this point in my life, I probably only go to the movie theater 2-3 times per year, but I do watch a decent number of movies on DVD.


For many years, I had Netflix, the industry pioneer in DVD rentals by mail.  It is a wonderful service, and still is an inexpensive option for renting.  At the time I signed up for Netflix, it would cost between $4-$5 to rent a video from Blockbuster for just one night.  Blockbuster also became infamous for its excessive late fees (which was a significant source of corporate profits).


Urban legend has it that one of the founders of Netflix was inspired to start the company because he was so upset over the late fees he had to pay at a Blockbuster store!  They revolutionized the whole industry of home video rentals.


Members can get the widest variety of rental choices delivered to them, without paying any late fees.  Netflix members do pay monthly recurring charges for the privilege, with the most popular plan running between $15-$20 per month.


In the past few years since I moved to Sunnyside, I enjoyed having Netflix.  They have even started to stream programming directly to computers over the Internet, and I enjoyed having that option also.


In tightening up my personal budget recently, I cut out the Netflix service, as it is a luxury I do not depend on for my survival.  Over the past week, I had some down time, and decided to rent a DVD.


In the last few years, we have seen two local video rental businesses either close down or leave town.  Netflix is still available, but I do not want to sign up for a monthly bill at this moment, so I checked out another option: renting from a video kiosk called Redbox.


In Sunnyside, there are two Redbox machines at the local Wal-Mart.  It costs $1 per night for a movie, and the kiosks are completely automated.  They have been there for a while, but I never tried them because I was using Netflix up until recently.


I rented a video from Redbox and was pleased with the experience.  It filled the niche need I had to be able to rent a video, and not have to sign up for a monthly plan.  The service was fast, and they immediately sent me an email receipt for the billing to my debit card.  Returning the video was equally smooth, and they even sent me an email to confirm it was returned to the machine.


Redbox allows customers to reserve movies on their website, so if you are anxious to have a selection available, you can be assured it will be there when you go to rent it.  They specialize in new releases, and due to limited space, do not carry the large selection that is available through Netflix.  However, it is a good option, and one I was happy with this week.


Redbox has over 20,000 locations nationwide, and movies can be returned to any of them.  The company was developed with money from a McDonald’s Corporation subsidiary, and McDonald’s owned almost 50% of it until February 2009.  Because of this history, you will see Redbox machines at many McDonald’s locations throughout the country.  They are also found at Wal-Mart stores, pharmacies, grocery stores, and other places as well.


While Redbox is not the only video rental service using automated kiosks, it is the largest.  Redbox’s Chief Operating Officer, Mitch Lowe, helped to found Netflix, has worked at McDonald’s Corporation, and now is working with one of the fastest growing vending services the nation has ever seen.


Some industry analysts have even said that Netflix views Redbox as their most serious competitor.  They are upsetting the apple cart for sure.  Redbox has multiple lawsuits pending against Hollywood studios because they won’t allow new releases to be placed in Redbox machines.


The movie studios say they are losing DVD sales to the cheap priced rental service.  Redbox says this is a violation of anti-trust laws.  While the courts sort it out, I am happy to see competition and change being made with customers benefiting from increased market choices.


The bottom line is: it is hard to beat paying $1 to rent a movie.


Reference:


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Redbox


Time: Netflix vs. Redbox vs. Blockbuster: What’s the Best Movie Rental Deal?

		


				


				

					

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