Raymond Padilla

John McCain Calls For A-La-Carte Cable

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has introduced the Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013, which calls for “a la carte” cable television and the elimination of sports blackouts. The aim is to give consumers more control — and hopefully lower total prices — over their cable bills by allowing them to buy the channels they want and ignore the ones they don’t.

One of the reasons cable and satellite television prices are so high is that companies bundle their offerings, often forcing consumers to pay for several channels they don’t want in order to get the ones that they desire. For example, there are many ESPN fans that don’t give a rats ass about Disney or AMC channels. Since Disney owns the whole lot, it strong arms cable and satellite providers into carrying all of them, passing the entire cost to consumers. Cable news channels are another example. While I enjoy and recommend watching both Fox News and MSNBC in order to hear what both sides are saying, each network has viewers that would never watch the other. Yet, the majority of those viewers are paying for both networks.

Here’s a clip from Senator McCain’s press release on the Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013:

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013. This legislation has three principal objectives: (1) encourage the wholesale and retail “unbundling” of programming by distributors and programmers; (2) establish consequences if broadcasters choose to “downgrade” their over-the-air service; and (3) eliminate the sports blackout rule for events held in publicly-financed stadiums.

For over 15 years I have supported giving consumers the ability to buy cable channels individually, also known as “a la carte” — to provide consumers more control over viewing options in their home and, as a result, their monthly cable bill.

Excusing that period of time when he totally caved to the Tea Party, I’m generally a fan of Senator McCain. As a boxing fan, I love his work on the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. I’m totally digging what he’s doing with the Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013. While I’m cynical enough to believe that cable and satellite lobbyists will squash the act, at least McCain is trying to do something about these companies (like crap bag Time Warner Cable) and bringing attention to the issue.

I’d love to hear what you think about the Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013. Do you think it will accomplish anything? Fire away in the comments section (please)!

Source via The Verge

Coffee Talk #583: Imagine Metered Television

On Tuesday, my journalist friend Paul, a Reverb producer, and I were having one of those “What If…?” (Marvel TM) conversations. We were imagining a world where television was metered. Instead of being able to watch what you want, when you want, and for however long you want, we were dreaming of television that was billed like a utility. The charges would be hourly, with higher fees for peak times. Let’s play this game on RPad.TV…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Handsome Coffee Roasters La Granja Microlot, trying to figure out why people are critical of Kate Upton’s gorgeous body, or Amazon Cloud Drive Photos, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Obviously the value of television commercials would drastically change or cease to exist, but nobody really cares about that. For the most part, the completely impossible metered-television dream would improve lives. While some people would spend more time on other forms of frivolity, others would spend time doing more productive things. Adults would spend more time with their families, children would spend time playing outside, and nerds (like me) would…read more comics, play more games, etc. Ha!

How do you think metered television would change the world and your world, specifically? Suspend your disbelief and leave a comment on this “What If…?” below (please!).

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

This weekend, I’ll be playing two games that are incompatible with each other. First up is one of the worst games of all time — The Packing Game. As some of you know, I’m moving at the end of the month. In order to save some cash, I’m going to try to pack as many boxes as possible. (I’ll let the professionals handle the kitchen and furniture though.) My apartment currently looks like one of the ugliest games of fort ever played…or maybe part of a level in a stealth-action game.

Interfering with The Packing Game is the Heel Injury game. Yeah, I hurt myself last night and my heel is swollen. I’m alternating hobbling around and icing it. Hopefully it calms down enough so that I can get some packing done this weekend.

So yeah, my weekend playlist sucks. Hopefully yours doesn’t! What games are you playing this weekend?

Today’s Poll: Would You Pay For YouTube Premium Channels?

Google has unveiled 53 YouTube paid channels. These premium channels offer commercial-free content for a fee. Prices start at $0.99 per month and currently top out at $9.99 per month. Discounts are available for annual subscriptions. The paid channels come with a free 14-day trial to help you decide if it’s worth paying for. My question for you today is this: Would you pay for YouTube premium content? Kindly vote in today’s poll and explain your answer in the comments section! Continue reading “Today’s Poll: Would You Pay For YouTube Premium Channels?”

Ireland Basinger Baldwin as Wonder Woman?

Casting Wonder Woman has always been tricky. You need a lady that brings beauty and physicality to the table. The easiest solution would be to go back in time and capture a young Lucy Lawless to play Diana Amazon princess. In a recent RPad.TV Google+ chat, RPadholic tokz suggested that Ireland Basinger Baldwin should dye her hair black and play Wonder Woman. At 6’2″, she definitely has presence and a physical trainer could help her get in Amazonian shape (I think she’s pretty perfect IRL, but Wonder Woman should be chiseled). Most people agree that she’s a beautiful girl. If she inherited any acting skills from her parents (Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger), then she’d be great for the role, don’t you agree?

Check out more photos of Ireland Basinger Baldwin below and leave a comment with your thoughts on her portraying Wonder Woman.

Double Fine Humble Bundle: Psychonauts, Stacking, More

The latest Humble Bundle features Double Fine games Costume Quest, Psychonauts, and Stacking. If you pay above the average price (currently $7.90), Brutal Legend is added to the mix. There are additional rewards at the $35 and $70 levels. If you’ve missed out on these great Double Fine games then this is a fantastic opportunity to give them a whirl, support an excellent developer, and contribute to a charity.

For those of you not familiar with Humble Bundle, DRM-free games are offered on a pay-what-you-want basis. Most bundles, including this one, are compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. In a novel twist, you get to decide who gets your money; you can split up your bill between the developer, charities, or Humble Bundle, Inc.

As a Double Fine mark, of course I think that all of you should pick up this Humble Bundle. If you do, please leave a note in the comments section and let me know what you think of the games.

Source

Vaping Diaries #63: Getting to Know Vapor Stands

One of my favorite things about vaping is that it has created numerous opportunities for American entrepreneurs. Some of my favorite companies in the business, like Ahlusion and Valley View Vapes, have enjoyed great success in a relatively short amount of time thanks to the burgeoning popularity of vaping. Of course it helps that both companies offer great products and back them with fantastic customer service. During my interview with Brian from The Vapor-Mart, I came across Vapor Stands. This relatively new company offers gorgeous handmade e-cig holders and has been enjoying success through Etsy and Facebook. I’ve been chatting with Vapor Stands co-founder Tim Mullicane to learn more about the company and hear its American success story.

Diana, my girlfriend, wanted to quit smoking and I knew that it would be difficult for her if I kept smoking. Between us we had over 50 years of combined smoking experience, so it was more than time to quit. We went to our local vapor store and 45 minutes later we were smoke free. Shortly after coming home with our e-cigs, we realized the lack of c-cig holders or stands on the market. We took my hobby of woodworking and built a simple little stand out of scrap oak firewood. A few design modifications later, we have the Vapor Stand Set.

Vapor Stands offers finely crafted products made from cherry, oak, and walnut woods. The majority of its products are designed to hold eGo-style e-cigs and accessories, but the company also does custom work for vapers with larger mods. Whether you’re looking for a simple desk stand, something that helps you keep your vaping device upright in your car, or a holder for a variety of mods, there should be a Vapor Stands product that meets your needs. Check out the photo gallery below to see the different designs and woods Vapor Stands uses.

[nggallery id=129]

In addition to helping people quit smoking, it’s completely awesome that vaping has created business opportunities for people like Vapor Stands Tim and Diana — opportunities that allow people to combine their passions and skills. For example, Ahlusion Wlad is a culinary genius that attended a prestigious school, and it shows in his juices. Similarly, Vapor Stands Tim is a skilled woodworker and his craftsmanship shows in his products. My knowledge of wood is limited to guitars and baseball bats (and splinters), so I asked Tim for some information on how he works with the different woods used in Vapor Stands products.

We hand craft our products from kiln-dried hardwoods including oak, walnut, and cherry. The Oak Stands have an aggressive grain pattern and turn out a beautiful blonde when finished. The Walnut Stands have a multi-color grain when finished and are a rich dark chocolate. The Cherry Stands have a very open grain full of pattern and finish into an almost salmon color. All of our Vapor Stand products have three coats of polyurethane for a high gloss finish and durability. All Vapor Stands are hand crafted in my wood shop.

As you can tell from the photos above and the clips in my interview with The Vapor-Mart, these are gorgeous e-cig holders. However, seeing them in person and feeling the heft of the wood gives you a deeper appreciation for these handmade products. Vapor Stands is popping up in more and more vape shops all the time, so if you need to see one before buying, then check with your local store or bug your local store owner about stocking these products. As for me, I have my eye on the Pie Slice Holder, but with larger holes for my big mods (big boy mods?). I plan on filming a video review on a Vapor Stands e-cig holder in the near future, so stay tuned.

PlayStation 3 Manufacturing Hits Brazil

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that some PlayStation 3 systems will be manufactured in Brazil. According to a company press release, the move is “expected to infuse the Brazilian economy with approximately $300-million over the next 12 months.” Brazil is no stranger to manufacturing consumer electronics. Foxconn, known primarily to nerds as Apple’s chief manufacturer, has a number of plants in the country, pumping out thousands of iOS devices daily.

To be completely honest, the reason I wanted to write about this “news” was so that I could reuse an image of Street Fighter Blanka. In my head, an army of Blankas will work diligently in a factory, assembling PlayStation 3 hardware while powering the facility the same time. That would be awesome. Yes, I realize that Cole MacGrath from inFamous would be a more appropriate choice, but Blanka is much funnier.

Coffee Talk #582: EA + LucasArts = ???

In case you’ve been living under a rock (a common occurrence in the Dagobah System), The Walt Disney Company and EA have entered into a multi-year licensing agreement that allows the latter to publish Star Wars games. BioWare, DICE, and Visceral will be the EA studios handling the upcoming games. It’s been lots of fun reading and listening to reactions on the deal. Some of them are just…crazy. Some people are acting like Disney handed over the rights to Star Wars to a legion of baby seal killers that hunt whales and burn down rain forests on the side…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the unsuccessful Kickstarter pitch for crowd-funding a Deathstar, Olivia Munn’s recent nipple slip, or the glory of black sesame vanilla frozen yogurt, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised by the harsh reactions of some gamers, a few journalists, and a couple of developers. EA has a bad reputation that has been exaggerated to the point of the company being selected as the worst in America by readers of The Consumerist. That distinction is preposterous; there are dozens (hundreds?) of companies in the banking, pharmaceutical, oil, and tobacco industries that are way worse for Americans. Perhaps I was being naive in thinking that all gamers should be happy that Star Wars will live on in the gaming universe. I’m just having a hard time understanding all the negativity.

I wonder what alternatives haters of this deal would have preferred. Not many publishers are in a position to pay “Disney money.” As far as American publishers go, Activision and Microsoft could afford it and after that…I can’t think of anyone else. While Star Wars has certainly become a global phenomenon, its identity is very much rooted in America. It would have been strange if Disney licensed the rights to a European or Japanese developer. Even thinking about a Star Wars game from Konami or Ubisoft feels weird.

Perhaps there wasn’t a perfect partner for Disney. No matter what, some gamers would have bitched and moaned about any publisher that paid for the rights to make Star Wars games. EA certainly has the money and talent to make some great ones. While there’s no guarantee that the company will produce top-quality games, at least the potential is there. Isn’t that better than not having any Star Wars games at all?

Anyway, what’s your take on the deal? How do you feel about EA making Star Wars games?

Vaping Diaries #62: iTaste VV 3.0 and iTaste 134 Details, Photos

Here are some details and photos of the upcoming Innokin iTaste VV 3.0, as well as the iTaste 134. Last month, I met with Innokin deputy manager Haoran “George” Xia and he told me about the new devices. The third-generation iTaste VV has a number of improvements over its predecessor:

Variable-voltage and variable-wattage performance
Resistance (ohms) checker
Improved threading system

Continue reading “Vaping Diaries #62: iTaste VV 3.0 and iTaste 134 Details, Photos”