For those of you who are unfamiliar with Digital Rights Management, it is basically restrictions that a company can put on certain digital products they sell you. Like when you'd buy a song via the iTunes store but you could only play that song on an iPod.
I have a lot of problems with this idea. You see, when I buy a product, I want it to be mine, I should be able to do with it as I want. I should be able to give it to a friend, sell it to a stranger, lend it to someone, fool someone into paying more for it. It's mine, I bought it, I own it.
I've been thinking about this a lot this week because of Microsoft's Xbox One. They are making it so that you can only trade a game once. To me this is just unacceptable.
Imagine that you buy a watch, a phone, or any other physical product. You paid for it, so it's yours, you can give it to whomever you want, that person can do with it as they wish, they can give it to someone else, or sell it, or whatever, because you gave it to them.
Could you imagine if you couldn't do that? If you couldn't resell something once you buy it? If you had to buy something new every time you wanted it? Imagine not being able to sell your car or your home!
I'm sure most companies that create physical products would LOVE it if there was a way to force people to buy their products new instead of used. However they can't, because it's physically impossible to put such restrictions.
So why are we allowing companies that create digital content to do this? When it was just an issue with a 99 cent song, I didn't care too much, 99 cents, big deal, but I'm seeing this happening more now with other things. The other day for the first time I bought a digital movie on Amazon for $10. So I would like to think that this movie now belongs to me. I should be able to download the digital file and play it wherever I want, but I can't. Why not? If I had paid $10 at the store I would have been able to get the DVD, I would have been able to create a video file and I would have been able to play that file in any device. As long as I own that DVD my file should be legal for me to use. Later I would have been able to sell the DVD at which point I would no longer have the right to play the file.
Point is, I paid for the movie, I should have full access to the file. I am no longer buying any movies online if this is how they are going to handle it.
With the Xbox One, the only way I will consider buying stuff from them is if they do what Steam does and give me amazing deals on games. If I get an amazing deal, then I won't mind if it's limited, but if they are expecting me to pay full price for a game that is going to be limited, not going to happen.
It started with ebooks and music, lets not allow DRM to keep controlling OUR things that we pay for. I don't mind services like Netflix and Google Play Music because I'm paying for a subscription, I never truly own anything but I have full access to their library, so that's totally different.
Let me know what you think!
Javier "STUFF" Torres
)S)
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
OH AFRICA - Alisha Popat (feat. Peter Hollens, Zolani Mahola)
It is fairly simple to meet beautiful people out there. There are tons. It can also be pretty simple to meet talented people, if you go on YouTube there are so many out there. It becomes harder sometimes to meet kind and loving people. Meeting kind and talented people is something special. When you meet a beautiful, kind and talented person, well that's just awesome.
In my opinion this is what Kenya's Alisha Popat is. Not only is she Beautiful, Talented and Kind, she's also so Passionate and full of life that just a few words from her make your day better. Hearing her talk about her love for Africa makes you wish you were there and certainly makes going there a goal in your life.
I've posted some of her videos in the past and today I have a new one that I'd like to share.
This time she teamed up with the very talented Peter Hollens and Zolani Mahola. I must admit I don't really know Zolani but I'm looking forward to seeing more from her.
The name of this new video is: Oh Africa
They basically took the song Hallelujah and changed it so that it would be a song about Africa.
Peter Hollens and Alisha also went on to record the actual Hallelujah song!
Please feel free to follow Alisha on Twitter @alishapopat
Hope you enjoyed the videos!
Hope you enjoyed the videos!
New T-Mobile Plans Explained
So, T-Mobile has changed the way they do business. They are trying to eliminate the traditional 2 year contract. In this video I try to explain how the new plans work!
Basically the new plan is the following:
$50 for Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text and 500MB of data that you can share.
If you care about Sharing your data you can add 2GB of data for $10
You can add that up to 6 times for a total of 12GB that you can share.
If you don't care about sharing your data you can get the Truly Unlimited Data Plan for $20
You are still paying for 500MB that you can share with the original plan, so even with Unlimited Data you'll be able to share those 500MB.
If you want to add more lines for a family, you can have up to 5 lines.
The second line would cost you $30 for the same $50 basic plan. A third, fourth and fifth line would each cost you $10.
Data plans are NOT shared, so you do have to add them individually if you wish. So if you want all 5 lines to have Truly Unlimited Data that would be a total of $20 X 5 = $100 for all the data plans.
If you are a single user who just wants a cell phone with about 2Gigs of data, on Verizon this would cost you $40 for a Smartphone service and $60 for 2Gigs of data. It would be a total of $100.
With T-Mobile it would be $50 for a Basic line and another $10 for 2 extra gigs, giving you a total of $60.
That's a Savings of $40 per month.
This is what both of those services would cost if you already had a phone you could use. But what if you don't?
If you need a phone, the Verizon line would not cost you extra. You Pay around $200 for the phone that you want and sign a 2 year contract.
The T-Mobile plan would require you to put around $100 down and then you could sign a 2 year contract where you pay an extra $20 a month for the phone. So instead of $60, it would now be $80. You are still saving $20 a month.
That's $240 a year, or $480 in the 2 year period, that's basically another phone. If you take into consideration that you had to pay about $100 less down, it IS another phone.
At the end of the 2 years T-Mobile stops charging you the extra $20 for the phone. Verizon does not.
So if you are happy with your phone and service and you decide to keep using the same phone for another year, with Verizon you would end up paying $480 more.
Obviously there are more things to take into consideration when looking for a cell phone provider. But when looking at just the numbers of what it would cost to have the phone, T-Mobile looks like a far superior option.
Hope this has been helpful. Please remember to follow me on Twitter and Google +
Twitter: @tsnstuff
Google+: Javier Torres
Basically the new plan is the following:
$50 for Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text and 500MB of data that you can share.
If you care about Sharing your data you can add 2GB of data for $10
You can add that up to 6 times for a total of 12GB that you can share.
If you don't care about sharing your data you can get the Truly Unlimited Data Plan for $20
You are still paying for 500MB that you can share with the original plan, so even with Unlimited Data you'll be able to share those 500MB.
If you want to add more lines for a family, you can have up to 5 lines.
The second line would cost you $30 for the same $50 basic plan. A third, fourth and fifth line would each cost you $10.
Data plans are NOT shared, so you do have to add them individually if you wish. So if you want all 5 lines to have Truly Unlimited Data that would be a total of $20 X 5 = $100 for all the data plans.
If you are a single user who just wants a cell phone with about 2Gigs of data, on Verizon this would cost you $40 for a Smartphone service and $60 for 2Gigs of data. It would be a total of $100.
With T-Mobile it would be $50 for a Basic line and another $10 for 2 extra gigs, giving you a total of $60.
That's a Savings of $40 per month.
This is what both of those services would cost if you already had a phone you could use. But what if you don't?
If you need a phone, the Verizon line would not cost you extra. You Pay around $200 for the phone that you want and sign a 2 year contract.
The T-Mobile plan would require you to put around $100 down and then you could sign a 2 year contract where you pay an extra $20 a month for the phone. So instead of $60, it would now be $80. You are still saving $20 a month.
That's $240 a year, or $480 in the 2 year period, that's basically another phone. If you take into consideration that you had to pay about $100 less down, it IS another phone.
At the end of the 2 years T-Mobile stops charging you the extra $20 for the phone. Verizon does not.
So if you are happy with your phone and service and you decide to keep using the same phone for another year, with Verizon you would end up paying $480 more.
Obviously there are more things to take into consideration when looking for a cell phone provider. But when looking at just the numbers of what it would cost to have the phone, T-Mobile looks like a far superior option.
Hope this has been helpful. Please remember to follow me on Twitter and Google +
Twitter: @tsnstuff
Google+: Javier Torres
Galaxy Note 10.1 Tablet With BLOOPERS!
On this video I express what I like the most about the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet!
I made this video a bit about but I'm still loving this tablet. I was able to make a lot of the graphics of my last video with this device (T-Mobile video) using photoshop touch. I'm also already thinking of ways that I can use it for other devices.
Would I like a nicer screen? yes, yes I would, but not if I have to give up the functionality of the S-Pen!
Hope you enjoyed the video!
Remember to follow me on Twitter and Google +!
Would I like a nicer screen? yes, yes I would, but not if I have to give up the functionality of the S-Pen!
Hope you enjoyed the video!
Remember to follow me on Twitter and Google +!
Anarchy Live You Tube Channel
So a few months I started a new YouTube Channel with the idea that I'd make videos instead of blog post since so much of what I want to express can much more easily be done via video.
I have not paid any attention to the Blog part since I started doing that but the idea is to have them both work together. So I will be posting some of my older videos here and in the future whenever I make a YouTube video I'll be posting it here as well.
The idea is to have the YouTube video but also the post with any additional information I may want to add in there. There will also be times when I just want to share something only in the blog, just like sometimes there will be videos that I will not feel deserve to be in the blog.
So, here is basically how it will all be working together:
Anarchy Live Blog: This site, it will contain my videos that I feel are helpful to others as well as other videos that I may feel people would enjoy.
Anarchy Live Channel: YouTube videos that I create that I may feel would be helpful to others. These are in my YouTube channel under the name "tsnstuff". These will most probably always end up in the blog.
Anarchy Live Vlog: This would also be in my Anarchy Live Channel but these would be quick updates about random stuff. Could be a rant about something I dislike, or it could be an update about a video I plan on making. Could be anything really. Not many of these will end up in the Blog.
You can find the Anarchy Live Channel/Vlog here: http://www.youtube.com/user/tsnstuff
Here is the original video I created.
I have not paid any attention to the Blog part since I started doing that but the idea is to have them both work together. So I will be posting some of my older videos here and in the future whenever I make a YouTube video I'll be posting it here as well.
The idea is to have the YouTube video but also the post with any additional information I may want to add in there. There will also be times when I just want to share something only in the blog, just like sometimes there will be videos that I will not feel deserve to be in the blog.
So, here is basically how it will all be working together:
Anarchy Live Blog: This site, it will contain my videos that I feel are helpful to others as well as other videos that I may feel people would enjoy.
Anarchy Live Channel: YouTube videos that I create that I may feel would be helpful to others. These are in my YouTube channel under the name "tsnstuff". These will most probably always end up in the blog.
Anarchy Live Vlog: This would also be in my Anarchy Live Channel but these would be quick updates about random stuff. Could be a rant about something I dislike, or it could be an update about a video I plan on making. Could be anything really. Not many of these will end up in the Blog.
You can find the Anarchy Live Channel/Vlog here: http://www.youtube.com/user/tsnstuff
Here is the original video I created.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Javier's Thought on the Election
Last night President Barack Obama won re-election and I'm very happy for that, but look at this map:
There is a lot of Red on there, a lot more than I expected. When you look at the popular vote numbers you'll notice that Obama didn't win by many, he almost lost the popular vote. We know the electoral votes are the ones that count but the popular vote says a lot about the state of this country.
This is not a time for Democrats to be gloating, we (and I'll say we because I voted for Obama, not because I consider myself a Democrat) may have won but obviously this country is more divided than I originally thought. I always saw Mitt Romney as a joke, as some Democrat who decided to switch sides just to try his luck. I saw his ideas to be too much like George W. Bush's ideas that got us into these wars to begin with and I never would have imagined so many people would care for that mentality again. I didn't think the guy who helped ship so many jobs outside the US would ever have a chance.
I don't think people who voted for him were really thinking about any of that though, they were either thinking about how little they felt Obama had done for them or they were just voting based on their faith thinking they have to impose their beliefs on everyone else. Regardless of the reason, truth remains that there is a big divide in this country and we should learn to respect each other and maybe just maybe listen to each other a little. Both sides can be so close-minded.
Let us quit complaining about how the Government wont work together and let US learn to work together and maybe then we'll be able to build a better country. Let us remember that regardless of the many issues it has, this country is still one of the best countries out there. And I'm not saying that in a "HELL YEA! AMERICA! WE KICK ASS" type of ways, I am saying it in a "I'm grateful that I get to feel safe when I go to sleep at night" way. I'm grateful that I don't have to worry about some bombs falling on my roof or my loved ones living in the middle of a war zone and getting blasted because they didn't run fast enough. I'm grateful that when I go to sleep at night I normally know what I'll have for breakfast the next day and that I can plan Thanks Giving dinner with my sister. I'm grateful that I don't go to the Doctor not because I can't but because I chose not to. God Bless America? We HAVE been blessed and if we don't see it we are blind.
Javier Torres
AnarchyLive.com
There is a lot of Red on there, a lot more than I expected. When you look at the popular vote numbers you'll notice that Obama didn't win by many, he almost lost the popular vote. We know the electoral votes are the ones that count but the popular vote says a lot about the state of this country.
This is not a time for Democrats to be gloating, we (and I'll say we because I voted for Obama, not because I consider myself a Democrat) may have won but obviously this country is more divided than I originally thought. I always saw Mitt Romney as a joke, as some Democrat who decided to switch sides just to try his luck. I saw his ideas to be too much like George W. Bush's ideas that got us into these wars to begin with and I never would have imagined so many people would care for that mentality again. I didn't think the guy who helped ship so many jobs outside the US would ever have a chance.
I don't think people who voted for him were really thinking about any of that though, they were either thinking about how little they felt Obama had done for them or they were just voting based on their faith thinking they have to impose their beliefs on everyone else. Regardless of the reason, truth remains that there is a big divide in this country and we should learn to respect each other and maybe just maybe listen to each other a little. Both sides can be so close-minded.
Let us quit complaining about how the Government wont work together and let US learn to work together and maybe then we'll be able to build a better country. Let us remember that regardless of the many issues it has, this country is still one of the best countries out there. And I'm not saying that in a "HELL YEA! AMERICA! WE KICK ASS" type of ways, I am saying it in a "I'm grateful that I get to feel safe when I go to sleep at night" way. I'm grateful that I don't have to worry about some bombs falling on my roof or my loved ones living in the middle of a war zone and getting blasted because they didn't run fast enough. I'm grateful that when I go to sleep at night I normally know what I'll have for breakfast the next day and that I can plan Thanks Giving dinner with my sister. I'm grateful that I don't go to the Doctor not because I can't but because I chose not to. God Bless America? We HAVE been blessed and if we don't see it we are blind.
Javier Torres
AnarchyLive.com
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10
This Monday October 29th 2012 Google was supposed to have a special event in New York in order to announce some new products. Because of safety concerns due to the storm that was headed that way they decided to cancel the event. They did however still use their blog to announce their new products.
I'm very excited about these products so lets see if i can talk about them without babbling too much and getting too much into technical details.
Nexus 4
I've talked plenty of times about my Galaxy Nexus and how I think it's so great. Well this time the new Nexus phone is being made by LG and Google is calling it the Nexus 4.
The Nexus 4 has a 4.7 inch high res screen that has almost as many pixels per inch as the iPhone 5 screen, 320 Pixels per Inch on the Nexus 4 VS 326 on the iPhone 5. This phone also has a quad core processor that should be able to compete with any of the flagship phones out there, specially running Android 4.2. It also has 2 Gigs of ram.
Some of the Negatives would be the fact that there is no LTE on this phone. Only GSM so you can only use it with AT&T or T-Mobile in the US (or one of the many smaller prepaid services). There is also no MicroSD card on this so you will not be able to expand the memory, very much like the current Galaxy Nexus. It will come in two version, a 8GB version and a 16GB version. I'd like to complain about this but I can't because I don't think I've ever filled up my phones memory, I just don't use it to store much music or movies or anything like that.
What really gets me excited about this one the most is the fact that the 8GB version will cost $300 and the 16GB version will cost $350. This is without a contract. Currently if you want to buy a Samsung Galaxy S III or an iPhone 5 off contract you have to pay at least $600. Google is selling you a phone that could very well be better than both of those phones and it's half as much!
The Nexus 4 will be Available for Purchase on November 13th.
Nexus 7
The Nexus 7 is nothing new, it's the 7 inch Nexus Tablet that Google makes with ASUS.
When Google first announced the Nexus 7 they were selling a 8GB version for $200 and a 16GB version for $250. Even when Amazon came out with a 16GB Kindle Fire HD for $200 I still felt that the 8GB Nexus was a better deal.
Well Google has now made the choice even easier, the 8GB Nexus 7 is now gone and we are left with a 16GB version for $200 and a 32GB version for $250. There is also a 32GB version with HSPA+ connection for $300 that you can hook up with AT&T or T-Mobile. Once again, no LTE, but HSPA+ is really not that bad at all. You could get a Nexus 7 that's always connected for less than a wi-fi only iPad Mini.
For more of my thoughts about the Nexus 7 please visit My original First look Article.
Nexus 10
Now if you like the idea of the Nexus 7 but you feel like you really need a larger screen and a better resolution, the new Nexus 10 might be what you are looking for.
The Nexus 10 is a 10 inch tablet that Google is making with Samsung.
This Tablet will come in a 16GB and a 32GB version but will not come with HSPA+ or any other mobile network support. It also does not contain a MicroSD card slot. It has a DUAL core processor which sounds disappointing but I haven't seen it in action, my Galaxy SIII is a Dual core processor and it works beautifully.
What sets this tablet apart from the competition is it's screen. It has a 2560 X 1600 resolution, which is 300 Pixels per inch. The new iPad or the iPad 3 or now iPad 4 or the old new iPad or whatever they are called now has a resolution of 2048 X 1536 which = 264 PPI. So the screen on this thing is even sharper than that of the new iPad. . . .or old new or 4 or 3 or whatever.
The prices on this tablet are $400 for the 16GB one and $500 for the 32GB one. Will also be available for purchase on November 13th.
So there you have it, Google working with LG, Samsung and Asus to bring us great products at an affordable price. I'm just surprised that there is no Motorola Nexus device, seeing how they OWN Motorola you'd think it would happen... Maybe later.
Please Follow me on Twitter and let me know if you have any tech related questions!
Javier Torres
AnarchyLive.com
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