Posts tagged Satellite at Switched

Posts with tag satellite

TV Pirate Gets Jail Time for Rebroadcasting DISH Network Material

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 23rd 2008 at 8:08AM

If you really needed proof that the statement "crime doesn't pay" had at least a semblance of truth behind it, here's your sign. Known satellite TV pirate Glenn White has been sentenced to a 14 month stint in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally rebroadcasting DISH Network's programming.

As the story goes, Mr. White was doing business in Wagram, North Carolina under the name Wagram Cable, but rather than distributing material in a legal manner, he chose to crack DISH's encryption and then monetize it. Big mistake.

Oh, and DISH Network actually put this out on a press release in order to let the public know it "will continue to fight those who aid or participate in illegally breaking into encrypted DISH Network TV channels and set-top boxes." Don't say it didn't warn you.

[Image courtesy of FlatPanelTV]

Russian PM Tracking His Dog Via Satellite

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 20th 2008 at 8:58AM

Just under a year ago, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced his hopes that one day he could pinpoint the location of his black Labrador, Koni, at any time of the day. Today, a dream has been realized. Mr. Putin has finally procured a satellite collar that will enable him to track the lab regardless of which of the eleven times zones she may be in while waltzing through Russia. Once the collar was slipped on, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov immediately said "she looks sad, her free life is over." Putin didn't miss a beat when snapping back: "In Soviet Russia, GLONASS track you!"

[Image courtesy of Picasa, thanks MJ]

Best Buy's Blue Label Laptops Built According to Customer Feedback

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 2:28PM

Hey guys / gals, check this out. Best Buy is practically admitting that it is just now starting to "gather insights from customers and work with manufacturers to design products that address [consumers'] needs." In a rather odd release, the big box retailer is announcing two new laptops that'll be exclusive to its store: the 14.1-inch Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402 and the 13.3-inch HP Pavilion dv3510nr. According to the release, these laptops were created and inspired by feedback from Best Buy customers

The Toshiba will feature a 1.2-inch thin frame, WXGA (1,280 x 800) panel, backlit keyboard, DVD burner, 5.5-hours of battery life and an $1,199 price tag. The HP (shown after the break) will include a LED-backlit WXGA display, up to 4-hours of battery life, inbuilt webcam and precisely the same retail price.

Eventually, Best Buy is hoping to expand the Blue Label series to other product lines, though there's no word on where to find these elusive input cards that it's supposedly using to pick and choose wares.

Continue reading Best Buy's Blue Label Laptops Built According to Customer Feedback

New Surveillance Program Finds Another Use for Military Satellites

by Evan Shamoon, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 2:59PM

Anyone who has been paying attention to the civil rights debacle that has been the Bush presidency will surely appreciate the irony of this one: A bill signed by President Bush last week allows the National Applications Office (NAO) to begin operating a limited version of a program that would turn military spy satellites towards our own soil. The images it captures will be shared with other federal, state, and local government agencies. Meanwhile, the government's own watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, warns (in an unpublished report) that the program, which is intended to grow in scope, does to privacy and civil liberties what Fox News does to video journalism and good taste.

As it exists for the time being, the NAO is restricted to monitoring activities such as "monitoring volcanic activity, environmental and geological changes, hurricanes, and floods." But as documentation has already made clear, officials at the Department of Homeland Security hope to "branch out" as well, providing assistance and information to domestic law enforcement agencies.

So, to summarize: yet another government agency is being set up to watch us. Where do we sign up!? [From: ArsTechnica]

Space Satellite to Track California Rats

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 19th 2008 at 10:45AM

Imagine being the spy satellite operator who gets moved from tracking Osama duty to counting rats -- Giant Kangaroo Rats, to be specific. Scientists in California are using images from an Israeli defense satellite in order to count the number of Giant Kangaroo Rats still living in the California desert. The satellite images won't be able to actually reveal individual rats, but they will be able to see the species' large burrows surrounded with mounds of seeds.

Much of the Kangaroo Rat's habitat has been lost to farming in the San Joaquin Valley, where a canal has turned the desert landscape into a patchwork of farms. The shrinking habitat isn't just affecting the endangered giant rat either. The Kangaroo Rats are essential to the Californian ecosystem, explains Tim Bean, a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley. "Without them the entire ecosystem would go out of whack," he told CNN.

The satellite tracking will replace trapping and expensive airplane fly-overs. Still, the scientists have a tough job ahead of them -- we can't imagine that spotting the burrow of even a Giant Rat is all that easy from space. [From: CNN]

Spy Satellites to ID You Via Your Shadow?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 4:30PM

It is literally becoming impossible to hide (and yet we still can't find Bin Laden). Cameras are posted everywhere. Facial and audio recognition software have made leaps and bounds. The NSA is tapping our phones, and the cops have cameras that can read your license plate. What else could our governments and law enforcement possibly need to keep tabs on us?

Why, spy satellites that can identify your shadow, of course!

Scientists are working on a system that will be able to analyze shadows from satellite video to recreate the way a person walks. Since your stride, sway, pace, and bounce combine to create a gait unique to you, gait analysis could prove to be a powerful tool for tracking criminals and terrorists (and you).

Of course, there are some caveats. Most satellites currently in orbit can't record high enough resolution images for effective gait analysis. Also, because the method is reliant on shadows, the system could be easily disrupted by rain or cloud cover and would prove completely useless at night.

Still, researchers believe this could prove to be an invaluable tool for tracking ne'er do wells. Oh, and you. [From: Daily Mail]

French Wineries Using Satellite Images to Improve Grape Crop

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 28th 2008 at 9:25AM

It was only a matter of time before satellite imagery started sneaking its way into every possible aspect of life. Law enforcement officials are using satellite surveillance imagery left and right in their work, while other folks with way too much time on their hands use satellite photos from Google Earth to study the natural orientation of cows. Thankfully, a French wine consultancy group (ICV) and Infoterra are making use of satellite images for something beyond the terrifying and stupid.

The two group have combined satellite images and aerial photographs to create Oenoview, a system that allows vintners to identify characteristics of large swaths of a grape crop. This allows vineyards to estimate beforehand the quality and worth of a crop, long before it is harvested.

However, not many French vineyards are jumping to use the system. Oenoview comes with a very high price tag, though Infoterra and the ICV expect that many grape growers will come around as competition from vineyards in Italy, Spain, and the United States increases. [From: Reuters]

FCC Approves Sirius and XM Satellite Radio Merger

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 28th 2008 at 10:31AM

In a somewhat unsurprising move, the FCC has approved the merger of Sirius and XM after protracted -- and incredibly boring -- multi-year negotiations. The Federal Communication Commission decided tonight to allow a deal that will bring the two satellite radio providers together, creating a combined subscriber base of roughly 18 million users.

The deal isn't without catches, however, with the Commission stating that the companies must cap prices for three years following the merger, allow subscriber choice on content, and lower fees for channel packages. FCC head Kevin Martin seemed pleased with the final outcome, stating, "Consumers will get to enjoy the best of the programming on both services." You know who wasn't so stoked? Clear Channel. [Source: Washington Post]

Man Accidentally Kills Wife During Botched Satellite TV Install

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 26th 2008 at 7:20PM

Man Shoots Wife During Botched Satellite TV Install

You know those annoying pro-cable commercials that always talk about how awful or expensive it is to install a satellite dish, and how comparatively easy, cheap, and dependable cable is? Yeah, well, they don't have anything on this story out of Sedalia, Missouri, where a husband has admitted to shooting his wife during the install of a home satellite TV system.

Amazingly the husband, Ronald Long, was trying to use a .22-caliber pistol to shoot a hole through the wall in the couple's home to enable them to run a wire through to the television. His first shot was apparently unsuccessful in penetrating the wall and his second shot somehow hit his wife in the chest, 34-year-old Patsy Long. She was pronounced dead on Saturday night.

Ronald could now be charged with manslaughter, though prosecutors haven't confirmed whether that is their intention. It also remains to be seen whether the cable companies will start filming new ads about these new potential dangers of satellite dish installation, but we wouldn't put it past them.

In related news, and just in general, we'd like to know this: When will gadgets stop killing people!?

From KHQA

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Justice Department Approves XM / Sirius Merger

by Thomas Houston, posted Mar 24th 2008 at 4:46PM

Following a year of review, the U.S. Department of Justice just announced that it will allow the merger of XM and Sirius, the two leading U.S. satellite radio providers. Interestingly, the Department of Justice does not see the merger as anti-competitive. Engadget explains:

The deciding factor appeared to be the proprietary hardware needed to receive both XM and Sirius; since consumers who shell out aren't likely to switch, the DOJ doesn't think the marketplace is all that competitive to begin with, which makes the impact of a merger relatively small. In fact, the DOJ says the merger could actually benefit consumers, who might see lower prices as the result of more efficient operations, broader programming options, and faster rollouts of new technology.

Although the Justice Department's decision is important, the merger won't happen without the approval of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) -- the next stage in the process.

From Engadget and CNN

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