noam's blog.a.lish

It's not secret that I'm a TV addict. I love my shows and I'll see them how, and when, I want to see them. Since I'm bound to Comcast (the crappiest company to ever provide cable television btw) my DVR isn't very reliable, yes even after replacing it with a newer model. So due to that fact I have to rely on other sources for my TV shows. I discovered boxee at a friends house a while back and immediately set up an old box I had with boxee and connected it to my TV. I had been streaming Hulu from boxee and all seemed well until Hulu announced they are taking themselves off of boxee at the request of their "content providers" which apparently remain nameless. You can read all about it on the Hulu blog HERE.

Personally I don't understand what the difference is if I watch Hulu via boxee or via FireFox. I don't see any ads on Hulu.com, the ads are only in the videos, so what gives? As the comments in the Hulu blog mention, people will now be forced to download content illegally and no one will win, the content providers won't get their ad money, their advertisers will stop supporting this free stream of content, and soon Hulu will go away too... so what can we do? If we abandon Hulu we will have lost the best free content provider out there, but if we don't these "content providers" will continue to tell us how to view content that is free... weird dilemma.

Since the box I have boxee installed on is a computer, I just watch Hulu via FireFox, but I can't use my nifty remote control so it's quite annoying. I hope boxee and Hulu reach some sort of arrangement with the content providers soon, it's really a shame how this has turned out.

What's wrong with the following picture? Seems like 2 ads that are displayed together on my facebook home page seem to negate each other, don't they?

p.s. So, should I whiten my teeth for $1 OR should I apply to work for Google so that I can get that 1 dollar teeth whitening?

I think I've seen or heard about this website before, but for some reason now seemed like the appropriate time to blog about it. I've been dabbling with search and ranking of late and I have a new found appreciation for this type of stuff, well aside for the humor of course. Feels like a good candidate feed to throw into my Google reader. Anyway you can check out many more at: http://autocompleteme.com/.

p.s. My favorite, by far, is the The twilight saga as told by autocomplete me.

Hours of fun, enjoy.

It's about time! Can't wait for this, I just hope that when I do a software update on the PS3 it won't freeze on me like last time... The official PS3 blog reports that Netflix will be coming to PS3 soon. Other sites also mentions this here, here, and here.

We’re excited to announce today that Netflix and Sony have partnered to bring you thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed instantly from Netflix to your TV via your PS3 system at no extra charge. When the application launches next month, you’ll be able to access and watch thousands of Netflix choices directly through the XMB. We think that the nearly nine million PS3 enthusiasts and 11.1 million Netflix members in the U.S. will make quite a match.

The press release is here.

p.s. My mac mini has not been working for a few months and I'm too lazy to take it to the store to have it examined (mainly since it's not under warranty) and I hate connecting my laptop to the TV... I know, I know, I'm lazy...

Not super new, but super great. Samberg doing a great little SNL Digital Short... check it...

p.s.I'm the bow-ss motha-fuka!

Yes, this has been all over the web, but it's so good that I had to post it. If you, like me, have a hard time explaining what google wave is feel free to use this as a tutorial.

p.s. Speaking of all things google wave check this crazy shit out.

Google has revealed that all of these pieces of user-entered data will be fed into Google's Beachcomber service, which sorts through, tossing organized and compiled data sets over to Blue Whale for analysis.

Blue Whale is Google's new AI engine, and it'll use Wave data to become autonomous and all-knowing. Blue Whale will eventually lead your discussions by recalling past information used in Wave groups. It will keep you honest by comparing new statements with your past statements. Think of it as an autonomous, administrator-level additional member of any group included in your Waves.

Blue Whale works hand-in-hand with Google's Bottomfeeder targeted advertising bot, which will serve ads based not only on the content of your Waves, Wavelets and Blips, but also the personality scores that Blue Whale automatically compiles. If you're more aggressive with your Wave postings, for example, you may be shown ads for Ultimate Fighting or roller coasters. If you're more apt to demure to authority, you may be shown spots for feminine hygiene products or CuteOverload.com.

Users will of course have the option to turn off Bottomfeeder's ads, but if they want to keep using Google Wave, they'll need to agree to have Stingrays installed in their homes and offices. These are Google's new audio and video surveillance cameras, which are controlled by Blue Whale. They aren't monitored by people, so Google says there are fewer privacy concerns. Stingrays recognize brands and products and how you use them, focusing in on user interaction with everything from electronics to food. This will create excellent market research, which Google will then anonymize and sell to corporations.

Well ain't that a load of bullshit...

Caught this little gem on facebook and felt compelled to share it.

p.s. Talk about doing it up, if some of these "other" airline companies started shaking things up we would have some healthy competition... seems like the airline market is turning to shit.

I've been using mint.com for the last couple of months and it's absolutely awesome. If you want a handle on your monthly spend, and you like pie charts, this is the application you've been waiting for. I wonder when they'll have an Android version.

Mint CEO Aaron Patzer at a startup competition event called Juice Pitcher on the Microsoft campus. The event, which is put on by TheFunded and Vator.tv, put a handful of new startups on stage to show their stuff and compete for a top prize. Between pitches, Patzer took the stage and told the story of Mint, in detail. His company just sold for $170 million to Intuit.

Mint CEO Aaron Patzer on Startups from Techcrunch on Vimeo.

Looks like this is one of those viral videos that everyone is sharing on facebook.

Need some cash? Feel like you deserve a bailout as well? Don't mind standing on line for hours? Well you'll love this...

The mystery man, who calls himself 'Bailout Bill', says in the middle of an economic crisis ordinary Americans who are struggling to make ends meet deserve a bailout.

In order to get the money people have to go the 'Bailout Booth' in the heart of Manhattan's Times Square.

It's a small cubicle, a couple of blocks away from the massive Virgin Megastore.

The minimum anyone can get is $50 (£35). The maximum is $5,000 (£3,513).

No matter who you are or what you do Bailout Bill guarantees that you'll get something if you just show up and tell your story.

Hundreds have already braved the freezing temperatures to get their free dosh. Some have stood in line for hours before getting to the front.

p.s. If only I wasn't so lazy... anyone want to stand online for me? Or even just give me money?

These are just amazing, there really isn't much to add.

p.s. Just released my first android application, check it out here if you have a G1.