Just a quick notice that RE:THORD, my irregular newsletter, is back again this Sunday. If you’re not a subscriber and don’t want to miss out, make sure you sign up here post-haste.
Month: January 2016
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Netflix to combat unblockers
Netflix, telling the world that you can’t circumvent regional programming for much longer:
Some members use proxies or “unblockers” to access titles available outside their territory. To address this, we employ the same or similar measures other firms do. This technology continues to evolve and we are evolving with it. That means in coming weeks, those using proxies and unblockers will only be able to access the service in the country where they currently are. We are confident this change won’t impact members not using proxies.
Region locking of all kinds is utterly stupid and should be ended. Alas, the licensing world doesn’t work that way. Too much money in play, and no real incentive, at least not until global streaming services have power enough to push back.
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Screens are stealing the conversation
Stop googling, let’s talk, published late September last year:
Studies of conversation both in the laboratory and in natural settings show that when two people are talking, the mere presence of a phone on a table between them or in the periphery of their vision changes both what they talk about and the degree of connection they feel. People keep the conversation on topics where they won’t mind being interrupted. They don’t feel as invested in each other. Even a silent phone disconnects us.
I think this is true. If there’s a TV in the room, my eyes will be drawn to it. That, however, doesn’t mean that there’s no room for phones, or any screen really, in everyday life. Moderation is key, as with so many things.
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Reset
Wil Wheaton, hitting a little too close to home in his reset piece, writes this:
Going all the way back to last August, I swore that I’d take more time away from other things to focus on writing and taking the pages and pages of story ideas I have in my little notebook and turning them into actual stories. The thing is, when I took that time off, my health and mana were so depleted, I couldn’t find it in myself to do the work. Every few months, I’d take a week or two off, and instead of writing like I wanted to, I’d play video games and do nothing else, because I was just so goddamn tired. Then I would look up, realize a couple of weeks had passed, I hadn’t done anything, and I needed to get back to “real” work. I would feel frustrated and empty, and the whole cycle would start all over again.
It’s just a coincidence I’m posting this so close to the new year, promise!