Hauppage. They have one of only a few cablecard tuners that actually allow the recording of encrypted channels, because apparently Media Center is the only software that has encryption allowed by the media cartels.

If you want to record HBO, Starz, etc. Media Center is the only game in town.

I don't think it works that way. I get paid a salary for a work week. That salary assumes I only work 40 hours a week, but because it is salary, It doesn't change If I work less than 40 (which I would just be strait-up fired) nor do I get extra money for working more than 40 (no overtime pay for salary workers). Here is how it works. I want to go home at 5, but the boss comes in at 4:50 and says "don't leave until this is done." I tell him "it will probably take another day or two." He says "well, better get working then". I then stay there working until 5 AM where in I go to McDonalds get breakfast and a few cups of coffee, make a quick stop at home to get a shower, change my clothes, and return to work to start another day, thus pulling 12 extra hours which I don't get paid for.

Now assume that this isn't just a one-off thing and happens frequently. You can see how people can work 60+ hours a week and not get paid for it. Not because they love their job but because it's expected. This is how it is, pretty much everywhere in America. The only major difference is usually that some places the boss will order dinner on the companies dime instead of me going hungry because I only brought lunch and I can't leave because my card only gives me access until 6 PM.

Kettle, meet pot. (neither of which I own because those are such extravagances). First, look at you Mr Moneybags with your horse buggy. Us salt of the Earth types walk everywhere (barefoot, no less) not ride around like royalty! And Telegraphs and abaci?! I have a few remaining fingers and toes that I can use to count on without needing luxuries like abaci. As for communication, I typically just go on a long journey to find a person and babble incoherently to their face, because I don't have lavish things like education or language. The few times that I need to have some high speed messages, I use a magnet that was given to me to induce an electrical current on the telephone lines one hundred miles away from my alcove. I know what you are going to say, that a magnet is such opulence but at least I wasn't greedy enough to actually buy it. Someone chucked it at me while shouting something vulgar, so it's mine now!

Wrong. We have a society of haves and "soon-to-have's*."

*For various definitions of "Soon" which may or may not exceed the expected lifetime of one or more generations and may be dependent on one or more of the following: hard work, extreme good fortune, unfair business practices, unethical behavior, bribery, choosing to be born of wealthy families of correct skin color in wealthy countries and the correct gender. Offer void where prohibited, see God for details.

One big reason renting is so popular is not being tied down to a single area. Maybe I can afford to settle down when I'm 70 but right now I need to stay flexible. Every 6 months to a year I need to evaluate my options to where the salary hotspots are go there. In the last 5 years, I have lived in Boston, Seattle, 'Frisco, Austin, Portland, Denver, and am soon moving to Manhattan. These are where the high-paying jobs are and I need to be there. Houses and family just make me less flexible thus less employable.

Money never sleeps and neither can I. This is the way of the new economy. The way of our grandparents starting with a company, staying 25-40 years and retiring are dead. Company loyalty is for the stupid. If you can't update your resume every year, you might as well just jump in front of a bus because you don't matter. The only measure of success these days is the number of figures in your paycheck and the number of prestigious jobs on your CV. A flashy car doesn't hurt either but lease, never ever buy.

In Developed countries, no. Companies like to bitch and moan that it is the profitable markets like we are doing most of the pirating, but that is just plain false. Claiming that it is the US and Europe is just ways to get stockholder and government sympathy. The piracy rates of developed countries is the lowest in the world [1].

The problem areas are the rest of the world where this stuff is openly sold on the streets and people just don't care. So when people bring up things like Steam Sales and cheap games they are right, stuff is too cheap for the majority of us to pirate, but elsewhere in the world, it is not.

[1] http://www.nationmaster.com/co... info/stats/Crime/Software-piracy-rate

1080x1200 per eye is too low of a resolution? What do you want, 16K per eye?

My thoughts as well. Personally, I would say go to about 300 characters while not having images or reply tags ("@user") counted against that limit.

That would give plenty of space to write out a full thought while still keeping it brief.

The biggest problem with this, as well as this generation of game consoles that that GPU tech can't keep pace with display technology. We have consumer-priced sub-$1000 (some even $600) 4K displays and manufacturers are already looking toward 8K meanwhile most mid-level GPUs, much less what goes in to laptops and consoles, are only now getting powerful enough to really push out 1080 with smooth framerates and decent AA and other effects. As I understand it, the Rift is two 1080x1200 displays which is half of 4K resolution and it still needs a $400 card.

Until we can get commodity-level cards that can smoothly handle these resolutions, or a 720p VR solution, I can't see this being anything more than a toy for people with too much money. I would love to get one, but unless I can hook it up to a laptop or whathaveyou, I can't see getting one. The last thing I want for VR is to be tethered to a desk. Hell, maybe with this technology, maybe 3D movies and games can finally make a comeback.

Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to worry about any damn Mind Worms. Vicious little bastards.

Hell, around me a good portion of the cable networks and local stations have yet to upgrade beyond 480i and most of those that did are at only 720i!

The point is TVs are a bargain bin commodity right now. So every manufacturer is trying to outdo the rest with bulletpoint features that may or may not ever be used to sell their high-end, high-profit-margin systems.

Don't we pretty much have that? I mean, bluetooth seems pretty standard for most controllers on phones and consoles (except MS) and the button count on most controllers has been more or less the same since the Playstation 2 Dual Shock Controller, which just built on the SNES controller.

Simple (adj): having few parts : not complex or fancy
Easy (adj): not hard to do : not difficult

Examples of simple but not easy:

1) Digging a large hole with a small shovel. Simple, insert shovel, pull out dirt, repeat. Not easy as it is time consuming and back-breaking labor.

2) Losing weight and staying fit. Simple, eat a small amount of calories and exercise to burn off what you do eat. Not easy for many people, just go ask any fat person why they are still fat when it is obviously such a simple process.

The 80's called, they want their stereotypes back.

Besides, who spends the entirety of Christmas Day with their family outside of little kids? We go over for dinner around 2:00 we leave around 6:00. We all live fairly close by so it isn't like we never see each other. I doubt I am that far off from average in that regard. I know I will be pissed if I can't enjoy playing my new game console on the one day I have off.

No, you seem to be missing the subtle nuance of the situation. Sony and Microsoft as companies can both fuck-off and die. However, taking down the online game servers isn't attacking either of them as a company, it is attacking the people who bought their products and wanted to play on what could be their only day off.

I know that I only get off on Christmas Day and New Years Day. I don't have school holidays where I can get a whole week or two off. So if I get my one chance to sit down and play and the servers are down, I'm not going to blame Sony or Microsoft (OK, I probably will). I am going to blame these assholes who took down the servers because reasons.