Re: In other news

BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]: 

> On 01.08.2023 13.32, Merlyne wrote:
>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>> news:[email protected]: 
>> 
>>> On 27.07.2023 15.32, Merlyne wrote:
>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>
>>>>> On 22.07.2023 17.21, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 18.07.2023 13.24, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On 12.07.2023 13.22, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> On 08.07.2023 17.01, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 05.07.2023 14.14, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02.07.2023 16.29, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 28.06.2023 13.31, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I got a new phone and a better plan.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Why are cell plans so much more expensive in my
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> country vs the US? 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CAPITALISM! It's always capitalism. We've been over
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> this. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sure. Are you sure that it's not related to population
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> base? 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you pay the same country-wide and you the same
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> coverage in sparsely populated areas (I know you have
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> some of those), then maybe. But most likely capitalism.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ugh!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I got a new S21 and 20GB of data for $47/month taxes
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I pay a base fee of ~$4/month (deducted from
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> consumption) with slightly higher per-minute charge
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and no free data. But then I only use data in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> emergency (which haven't happened yet) and make maybe
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> two calls and two texts/month. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I used to have a prepaid cell for like $10 a month back
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in 2003 when it was my emergency phone.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Once I started using it all the time, it was more
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cost-efficient to have a plan with unlimited talk and
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> text. I would say that I am most frequently contacted
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> by text than by other modes i.e. voice call or email. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On the other hand I still pay for a landline (IP) even
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> though it hasn't made a sound (or call) in several
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> years. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I also have a landline. My Dad calls it and a few
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> places where I keep forgetting to change my contact
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> info to my cell. I think the landline isn't VOIP it's
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> whatever came before that but after rotary dial phones.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Analog... (rotary dials relied on counting the impulses
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> - one for each digit passed on return; pushbutton
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 'dialing' relied on the frequency of the tone
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> correspondig to each digit/button) 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> They will probably phase it out eventually.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Like they did with teevee signals, thus making everyone
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> get new teevees... 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I thought I got a new tv because the old one stopped
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> working. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>> That may be, but lots of people got new tvs because their
>>>>>>>>>>>>> old one couldn't receive/decode the digital signal.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> The cable company gave out digital conversion boxes to
>>>>>>>>>>>> people. 
>>>>>>>>>>> Can you still get one of those. To use on an old teevee that
>>>>>>>>>>> you buy at an antique shop?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I doubt anything would work on a tv that old.
>>>>>>>>> In theory it would. It would require a digital to analog
>>>>>>>>> conversion and probably a granularity reduction from HD to PAL
>>>>>>>>> or [whatever the American format is called]. An old cable
>>>>>>>>> converter might just work if one could bypass the subscription
>>>>>>>>> bit. 
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> It could work from an antenna. Some channels are in the air. In
>>>>>>>> HD even. 
>>>>>>> That's what I meant, using the antenna as input for the box. A
>>>>>>> really old TV will probably make a mess of an unaltered HD
>>>>>>> signal. 
>>>>>> I can imagine.
>>>>>> It would probably make a mess of SD signals too.
>>>>> And if by some miracle it could be made to work, there probably
>>>>> wouldn't be anything good on anyway.
>>>>>
>>>> Nonsense! There are always quality programming available like those
>>>> reality shows were a farmer needs a wife.
>>> Grrr! No matter when I look it seems to be all American 'Married at
>>> first sight' or some survival show...
>> 
>> There's now a couple of them on about finding a spouse for farmers.
> 
> And some where they put couples in an isolated spot and see how long
> it takes for people to cheat on their partners. *sigh*

And how long does it take? I need closure.
I see that Big Brother is back for it's 25th season.
Ugh!

>> 
>>> They do show Colombo (again) but late at night and I still remember
>>> all the plots from last time.
>> 
>> I don't remember all the Columbo plots. Doesn't matter since they
>> show you who did at the beginning of the show.
> Yes but Colombo is more about howdonit than whodunit... and Colombo
> pretending to be dumb but really being very smart of course.
> 
And one more thing...
>>>
>>>> I have Acorn and BritBox now so I can catch up on all my British
>>>> murder mystery shows. I feel with the writer and actor strike that
>>>> there may be a long tv show drought.
>>> I get BritBox as well (on that streaming service). They have Yes
>>> Minister/Prime Minister.
>> 
>> I never watched that one.
> It's a good introduction into how gubbernment *really* works... sort
> of. 
> 
>> I'm going to finish Good Omens and then watch the latest season of
>> The Witcher. The next season of The Wheel of time starts September 1.
>> 
>>>
>>> I did see a Canadian police series in french. It had all the right
>>> characters:
>>> - a neuro-divergent sketch artist with 'amazing' abilities,
>>> - a wheel-chair bound, female chief always wearing a baseball cap,
>>> - a young arab gay forensic investigator,
>>> - a semi-alcoholic older detective who broke all the rules
>>> (violently) - a middle aged female researcher, who was a former
>>> elite hacker. And that was just the Good Guys(tm).
>>>
>> 
>> I don't know that one. I used to watch 'District 31' when I was on 
>> language training.
> 'Portrait Robot' in Canadian. ('The Sketch Artist' in 'danish').
> I don't know 'District 31' but I do have a Belgian series of all
> things, all about sex-crimes.. in Flemish language.
> 
>>>> And speaking of programming, I wrote a Python program today without
>>>> taking a course.
>>> I had no idea you were a parseltongue.
>> 
>> Well, I had to do something after I failed out of wizard school.
> Is that even possible. I thought you would just have to take the year
> again. Or become Key Warden or something.

But eventually they found out that I'm too stupid to be a wizard.

> 
>>> One of these day I'm gonna install the ADA pre-compiler for gcc
>>> again and think of something to code in it... Something with a lot
>>> of things happening at the same time.
>>>
>> 
>> No, you won't.
> 
> I will. Some day...

Right after you build that water feature in your yard, I'm sure.