Entries Tagged 'The View from Mudsock Heights'

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How to See the World for Free

By Dennis E. Powell | May 22, 2024 at 9:46 PM

As part of my privacy-oriented DIY “smart” television project I had looked at applications that consolidate the many live streams from television stations around the world into some kind of useful form. I accidentally heard about and was drawn to something by the (kind of poor, I think) name of IPTVnator. And it works.

Politics or Economics?

By Dennis E. Powell | May 15, 2024 at 11:35 PM

In 1974 my friend and mentor Sylvia Porter, the financial columnist, was summoned to Washington by the president, Gerald Ford. She had been asked to head a government effort to reduce inflation, which as a result of the 1973 Arab oil crisis had risen to 12.3 percent. When she got there, she was dismayed. The program consisted of red campaign buttons bearing the message “WIN.” Ford said the letters stood for “Whip Inflation Now.”

All Gone

By Dennis E. Powell | May 08, 2024 at 10:11 PM

It startles me to realize that I’ve lived in this little house longer than I’ve lived anyplace else. I moved around quite a bit in New York and Connecticut, yet my few years’ tenancy in each of several places there is longer in my memory than my 20 years next spring spent here.

It's Alive!

By Dennis E. Powell | May 01, 2024 at 11:06 PM

The idea of trying to build a privacy-respecting television box took root when I heard of something called Plasma Bigscreen. “Plasma Bigscreen is an open-source user interface for TV's [sic]. Running on top of a Linux distribution, Plasma Bigscreen turns your TV or setup-box into a fully hackable device,” says its website, linked above. “A big launcher giving you easy access to any installed apps and skills. Controllable via voice or TV remote.”

Building a Better Television

By Dennis E. Powell | Apr 24, 2024 at 11:11 PM

Your television is spying on you, as mine is spying on me. This is true unless you are watching only programs via broadcast signal and receive them through an antenna — and maybe you’re having your information collected even then.

TikTok Television

By Dennis E. Powell | Apr 17, 2024 at 2:55 PM

Your television is spying on you, as mine is spying on me. This is true unless you are watching only programs via broadcast signal and receive them through an antenna — and maybe you’re having your information collected even then.

Reality Always Wins

By Dennis E. Powell | Apr 10, 2024 at 11:32 PM

Gee. Every month people in the financial industry predict that inflation will go down. Almost every month, inflation doesn’t go down. Turmoil in the markets results. It is worth remembering that brokerage houses make money when you buy a security, but they also make money when you sell a security.

Darkness in the Afternoon

By Dennis E. Powell | Apr 03, 2024 at 9:58 PM

There will be a total solar eclipse in much of the U.S. on Monday. It will represent a rare occasion to watch . . . feather-headed television anchors say things even stupider than usual, which is a feat. Many people will destroy expensive cameras and others will damage their eyesight attempting respectively to capture and observe the event.

Fat Men Fighting

By Dennis E. Powell | Mar 27, 2024 at 11:04 PM

A friend was preparing for a visit to Japan. He would be spending a few days in Osaka and wondered about things to do in Japan’s second-biggest city. I said that I’d seen that the Grand Sumo championship would be underway there during his trip. It might provide an interesting cultural experience.

All the Sins Ever Committed

By Dennis E. Powell | Mar 20, 2024 at 9:27 PM

You’re probably not a “big-C” Catholic. Most people aren’t. Some of us increasingly doubt that the pope himself is. We can’t tell, because he spends most of his public time being a fascio-leftist politician.

Easter is a week and a half away, and it seems a good time to bring up something I’ve pondered for decades, on which Roman Catholicism gave me a unique view.

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