EDITORIAL: I hate the word “trending”
It seems an odd thing for a blogger to say, doesn’t it? But really, the word “trending” really gets on my nerves now and again. It’s hard to say why, but it just really rubs me…
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EDITORIAL: Maybe I don’t want a Smart TV
Longtime readers of The Solid Signal Blog will see that over time, my thinking about Smart TVs has evolved. I was a big fan of the technology in 2011, even investing my own money to get a…
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Broadcasting is magic
Fact. The received power from a satellite is measured in millionths of a watt. Even after amplification and processing by your satellite dish, the signal is usually about -35dBm, which is .000000316 watts. A nightlight is…
EDITORIAL: Curved TV is a flash in the pan
Anyone who’s anyone at this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show showed a curved TV. There were big ones, small ones… more curves that an (insert inappropriate comment here.) But as our blog team walked the room,…
How the $%#@ do I turn this thing on??
When I was a kid there were 5 TV Channels in Chicago – 2, 5, 7, 9 and 11, CBS, NBC, ABC, WGN (Independent) and PBS. Oh, what a simple time. If we wanted to…
Is 2014 the year of no-name TVs?
This might just be the year you buy an HDTV from some company you’ve never heard of. And we’re not just talking about the Dynexes, the Zeniths, the Emersons, or the other generic brands that have…
5 “nopes” for the 2014 CES
Yesterday, I listed my 5 hopes for the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. Today I’d like to talk about my 5 “nopes” — the things that I dread seeing, and wish that the manufacturers would just stop talking…
5 hopes for the 2014 CES
The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show is about a week away and it’s time to publish my list of five “hopes” for this year’s show. This will be my sixth CES as an attendee, and the first…
EDITORIAL: Why is it so hard to get remote controls right?
Easy answer, actually. Most folks, believe it or not, are just fine with one or at most two remotes. A lot of equipment comes with some sort of “universal” remote that has a better than average…
Biggest PC Fails of 2013
Arguably the biggest tech story of 2013 was the end of the PC juggernaut. Personal computer sales, which were utterly nonexistent in 1973,grew year-over-year for longer than most folks have been alive. The growth in PCs…
EDITORIAL: The scariest thing a Millennial ever said
Random photo of people under 35 found on the internet Disclaimer: I am not a Millennial. Millennials are that group born after 1980 who have defined popular culture with their attachment to mobile devices and penchant…
To Password Protect or Not to Password Protect — That is the question!…
For years and years I used my phones without any kind of password protection. I would see folks unlocking their phones every time they took them out to do anything. It seemed like a bit of…
CONFESSION: I’m such a satellite geek that I…
Yeah, that’s me. Mister Satellite Geek. I wonder if there is a twelve step program for people like me. I think that I’m past the point of being an enthusiast… I believe I may have a…
The question I thought I’d never ask: Who needs a big TV?
Every year we see bigger and brighter TVs and they get closer and closer to production. Where once we saw 84″ TVs that never looked like they would see the light of day, 110″ models are…
EDITORIAL: Data mining should be helpful not creepy
Or: Why Linkedin needs to cut it out already. Yes, there are some people who choose not to participate in social networks. While even grandparents have somehow learned the value of Facebook, other networks have…