cops in unmarked cars might start targeting areas where newly publicized photo radar cameras have been placed and pulling over speeders and checking their plates
Thus negating the point of putting up said cameras.
Maybe the state legislatures and city councils should consider the novel idea of not figuring traffic fine revenue into their budgets and not hiring private companies to do the police department's work.
They are running ads on the TV, saying that when the analogue TV signal gets switched off, if they haven't upgraded, then their tv set may not work properly. The key words are "may not". I think they should be saying "will not". There will be no analogue channels left, so unless they buy a STB or get a DVB capable set, then they will not get a signal. It's probably political, don't startle the proles or they may realise we're forcing them to do something that costs them money.
Any commercial that says "may not" is accurate. If you bought a TV within the past few years, chances are (at least in the US) it has a digital tuner built in. They will still work after the analog shutdown without a converter box; whether you can still pull in the same channels, however, is primarily an antenna issue. It's only people with older televisions -- purchased before the FCC practically forced manufacturers and retailers to sell TVs with digital tuners -- that need a converter box *if* they use rabbit ears.
Besides, some low-power stations in the U.S. will be permitted to transmit an analog signal past the shutoff date, so analog isn't truly going away after February.
The article points out that all of the major Hollywood studios except Universal are backing Blu-ray; Universal is backing HD-DVD. It also notes that while one industry watcher believes the first format to have an installed base of two million homes will come out on top, there were millions of Betamax units already sold when VHS won out in the format wars of the 80's."The European Commission, the European Union's executive body, appears to be particularly interested in the activities of the Blu-ray group because of its dominance in Hollywood, according to people familiar with the situation. The commission is investigating whether improper tactics were used to suppress competition and persuade the studios to back their format.
""The appeals court said Vonage could cite the new Supreme Court ruling as part of its pending appeal. Vonage had argued that the March 8 infringement verdict in favor of Verizon should be reconsidered after the Supreme Court loosened a crucial legal standard, making it easier to invalidate some patents on the grounds they are obvious inventions."
Living on Earth may be expensive, but it includes an annual free trip around the Sun.
