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Post by clarencebunsen on Mar 1, 2014 7:06:20 GMT -5
I watched some Star Trek this week. Some of this was done using a tablet computer to control a Chromecast gadget to explore what is available on Netflix. (Several topics available there: Chromecast, Netflix, dump Time Warner(?), add another time suck (?))
One thing that struck me was the computer tech on different Star Trek series. Of course they always wanted to look futuristic but stay on budget.
The original series had portable computer terminals of a sort. To today's eyes there are large & cluncky. Lots of buttons, small display, basically an electronic clipboard like UPS drivers have.
When Star Trek returned in the 80s (The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine) portable computers had become tablets. The size & form factor was like that of a Kindle Fire or a Nook. No buttons, user interface was touch screen and software adaptable. They were used to access information and as control devices. Basically they were just like the tablet I was using to control what was on my TV screen. With other hardware & software if I wanted I could also use it to control the temperature in my house or a home security system.
I couldn't remember what the devices were called and had to look it up. They were called PADDs (acronym for Personal Access Display Device). I imagine Steve Jobs was a Star Trek fan.
Last night Barb & I had a DVD date. Watched a borrowed copy of the new (released last year) Star Trek movie. Some things may have changed but I'm still a cheap date.
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Post by Clipper on Mar 1, 2014 10:44:46 GMT -5
I always enjoyed the theater experience, but with the high cost of seeing a movie in recent years, we also stick to DVD's on most occasions. The last time Kathy and I went to the theater to see a movie the total cost by the time we bought snacks and got to our seats was over $25. I refuse to pay 5 or 6 bucks for a bucket of popcorn, soaked with butter flavored vegetable oil, when I can pop my own at home for a less than a buck, drizzle it with REAL butter, and sit in my own recliner to watch a movie. The last time we went to the theater, they were hesitant about letting me in wearing undershorts and t-shirt, my robe, and slippers.  Our latest tv is a 50 inch HD flatscreen, which is plenty large enough for the size of our living room. The only enhancement I would possibly add at some time in the future would be a decent quality home theater system with wireless speakers. Our old system is from Sears, is over 15 yrs old, relatively low end, and the speakers lack the sound quality of the newer systems. I think we only paid around $300 when we bought it. They were a relatively new thing at the time and quite expensive. I think if I had a house full of kids, a drive-in would be the only economical alternative to viewing a movie at a theater, Taking a family of 6 or 7, buying the theater tickets, plus snacks for the crew could leave dear old dad with very little change back from a $100 bill, haha. I enjoyed the original Star Trek films, but never became what one would call a Treky. I have oft said that it is amazing how many of the electronic devices used in the movies has become a reality and are available in your local Best Buy. Who could have imagined back in the 60's when a UNIVAC or IBM system filled a half of a tractor trailer with a main frame and related servers, that it would evolve into technology allowing a computer to be contained in a something the size of a cellphone. |
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Post by clarencebunsen on Mar 1, 2014 12:20:24 GMT -5
Barb is talking about taking the grandkids to see the Lego movie, a rare treat. As you say movie costs are getting out of sight. Usually when we do movies for them it's from on demand pay per view. That usually costs about $5 and if they really like it they can watch it for 24 hours at no additional charge. Plus we can do our own popcorn and not the stuff with the butter flavored grease. Plus Grandpa can sit in a recliner, have a beer and rock a sleepy little girl if necessary.
That's one reason I'm considering Netflix. It's $8 per month. If we rent 2 movies per month I come out ahead and Barb can watch 20 years worth of Law & Order reruns.
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Post by Clipper on Mar 1, 2014 13:00:36 GMT -5
That sounds like a great deal Clarence. I imagine that Barb will have to live to be well over 100 to view ALL the Law and Order reruns, haha. We chuckle because when we can't find anything interesting to watch on the other channels Kathy will say just "flip around and find Law and Order." It seems that one form of that show or another can be found 24 hours a day on one channel or another. If nothing else, it makes a great "filler" when the rest of the networks fail to provide anything worth watching at any particular time. |
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Post by clarencebunsen on Mar 1, 2014 16:05:31 GMT -5
I've never been one to watch reruns and I tease Barb about her L&O. Actually I figure as hard as she works and for the number of hours, whatever she wants to do to unwind is OK, playing Candy Crush on her tablet or watching Lenny catch a murderer.
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Post by Clipper on Mar 1, 2014 16:18:48 GMT -5
Oh no! Not the infamous Candy Crush. lol We have people that bring tablets or their smart phones to the bowling alley and play that game. We often have to remind them when it is their turn to bowl, and some even act a little disturbed that we would interrupt their game of Candy Crush. It bothers Kathy. She goes to the bowling alley to socialize and bowl. It aggravates her to see two of the five girls with their nose and fingers glued to their tablets or phones rather than enjoying the game of bowling with friends. Most of us guys simply toss our phones on the table when we get there, or in some cases put them in our locker, and don't pay any attention to them until we are preparing to leave. I assume that is why the phone has the capability to record voice mail or a missed call notification. People are addicted in some cases. First it was solitaire on our windows computers, then Farmville on Facebook, then Angry birds on the phones, and now you can play a wide variety of games such as bejeweled and others. I tried Farmville when it first became popular on Facebook. I quickly decided that I had better things to do with my time than to gather eggs, milk cows and pick my crops on the computer, haha. When we first got desk top computers at the base, they ended up having to block or delete the solitaire from them because there were people playing it for hours when they were supposed to be working. |
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Post by chris on Mar 8, 2014 16:07:11 GMT -5
I never got Candy Crush but recieved many invites and resisted. Farmville...just the word alone never interested me. I was always a scrabble fan so when WWF came along and I was asked to play I joined but now find that boring compared to my newest game Word Chumbs which is like WWF only much much better. And addictive. I only do one addiction at a time cause I use up most of it playing this. ...that and checking into FB daily. Word Chumbs only on IOS or Android and now Kindle ...I am wnygrl585 if you want to play.  |
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Our latest tv is a 50 inch HD flatscreen, which is plenty large enough for the size of our living room. The only enhancement I would possibly add at some time in the future would be a decent quality home theater system with wireless speakers. Our old system is from Sears, is over 15 yrs old, relatively low end, and the speakers lack the sound quality of the newer systems. I think we only paid around $300 when we bought it. They were a relatively new thing at the time and quite expensive.
