Tech Tho(ugh)ts

So, let’s say you’ve finally got yourself some music in a way that is most comfortable to you. Maybe you have some high quality FLACs, or even Vinyl- hey, go you! So… how should you listen to them? Maybe as you reach towards your 2009 era now off-white iPod headphones, you think… is there a better way? Well, yes. There is. :>

Sources:

Driver types:

• SoundGuys, 19 April 2019, “Driver types: Which one’s just right?“
• “5 Types Of Headphone Drivers That You Should Know”, Updated: 24 November 2020, Headphonesty

Headphone Types:

• “In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) vs Earbuds”, Updated: 12 March 2020, SoundGearLab
• “IEM vs Earbuds – What Is The Difference?”, Updated: 13 December 2020, EarbudsZone

Terms:

• 3D Insider, 10 January 2019, “10 Best Reference Headphones“
• Digital Trends, 24 October 2018, “What’s a headphone amp, and why would you need one?”
• The Tech Lounge, 24 December 2020, “What is DAC: Everything You Need to Know”

Bluetooth Misc:

• CNET, 15 September 2020, “aptX: Everything you need to know about the wireless Bluetooth enhancement”
• Sound Guys, 30 November 2018, “aptX Adaptive: The new king of Bluetooth?”
• Android Authority, 6 December 2020, “Bluetooth codecs 101: Everything you need to know“
• Android Authority, 22 August 2017, “What you need to know about Sony’s LDAC“
• Sound Guys, 16 December 2018, “The ultimate guide to Bluetooth headphones: LDAC isn’t Hi-res“

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

We’re just talked a whole lot about music streaming- what more is there to be said? Well, what if I told you that favorite music streaming service may have an evil side? If you’ve been tuned in for a while, you might jump to think Youtube or Apple, but what if we told you it was… just about all of them?

Sources:

Spotify’s User Count:

• Music Ally, 19 February 2020, ‘How many users do Spotify, Apple Music and other big music streaming services have?’

Spotify’s Payout Method & Estimated Rates:

• ‘Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP’, 17 August 2018, How Streaming Services Pay Songwriters (Infographic)
• Music Ally, 5 May 2020, ‘Spotify should pay musicians more? Let’s talk more about how’
• Ditto Music, 28 December 2020, “How Much Do Music Streaming Services Pay Musicians in 2021“
• The Trichordist, 5 March 2020, “2019-2020 Streaming Price Bible : YouTube is STILL The #1 Problem To Solve“

Spotify’s “Pay for Plays” equivalent strategy:

• Spotify Newsroom, 2 November 2020, “Amplifying Artist Input in Your Personalized Recommendations”
• Hack – triple j, 17 November 2020, “Should Spotify pay more per stream? How artists have to play the ‘digital marketing game’ in 2020”

“Fake Artists”:

• NPR, 12 July 2017, “https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/07/12/536670493/spotify-is-accused-of-creating-fake-artists-but-what-is-a-fake-artist”
• The Ringer, 16 January 2019, “Is Spotify’s Model Wiping Out Music’s Middle Class?”
• Junkee, 14 September 2020, “Junk Explained: How “Fake” Bands Are Taking Over Spotify And Fooling The Algorithm”
• Rolling Stone, 15 May 2019, “‘Fake Artists’ Have Billions of Streams on Spotify. Is Sony Now Playing the Service at Its Own Game?”

“Justice At Spotify” Campaign:

• UMAW (Union of Musicians and Allied Workers)’s Page on Justice At Spotify

Mentioned Apple Music Class Action & Dismissal:

• Apple Insider, 25 May 2019, “Apple facing class action lawsuit over alleged iTunes & Apple Music data sale”
• Apple Insider, 26 November 2019, “Judge dismisses class action involving iTunes and Apple Music data privacy“

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

Here’s a question: how do you listen to music? Maybe through speakers, or more likely headphones? Do you use a music streaming service, or do you prefer having your own music files? Well, we’re not gonna give you FLAC on any of those choices, but maybe we’ll clear up what an opus is. (as in, the file format- not the magnum)

Sources:

Lossy Codecs:

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, January 2000, “Psychoacoustics as the basis for modern audio signal data compression” (How MP3s Compress)
• Library of Congress’ Page on MP3
• Stereophile, 8 March 2008, “MP3 vs AAC vs FLAC vs CD”
• Vorbis audio compression, xiph.org
• Opus Interactive Audio Codec, opus-codec.org
• Summary of Opus listening test results, 2013

Lossless Codecs:

• what is FLAC?, xiph.org
• Ars Technica, 28 October 2011, “After seven years, Apple open sources its Apple Lossless Audio Codec”

Codecs offered by streaming services:

• Spotify Support’s page on audio quality
• What Hi-Fi?, 7 June 2019, “YouTube Music review”
• “Select or Change your Audio Quality”, Youtube Music Help
• Deezer plans, Deezer.com
• PCMag, 18 September 2020, “Amazon Music Unlimited Review”
• “What Audio Quality Does TIDAL HiFi Offer?”, TIDAL Support
• What Hi-Fi?, 17 June 2020, “Apple Music review”

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

Alright, so you’ve got yourself internet service! Some wires slam into your home, get stuck in a box, and boom, internet! Heck, maybe you even have a fancy modem-router combo box! But, well- what is a modem? Hell, what’s a router? And why is there an eth- in my -ternet?

EPISODE NOTES/MISTAKES: We mentioned that DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS are different due to regions using NTSC or PAL (North America vs. Europe). NTSC has been depreciated in the move from analog to digital television, replaced with ATSC. Similarly, PAL is replaced by DVB. Japan actually uses ISDB, as does South America and the Philippines.

• ISDB-T‘s Website
• ATSC Website
• DVB Website

Cat7 is backwards compatible, it just has not received a stamp of approval from the IEEE (Insitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) or the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). This has left very few developers to create support for the GG45 connector that Cat7 uses.

https://www.cablematters.com/blog/Networking/what-is-cat7-and-why-you-don-t-need-it

802.11ad refers to WiGig, and was never retroactively turned into “Wi-Fi 5”. It is a separate standard that has high bandwidth, low latency, but poor wall penetration.

Wi-Fi Alliance on WiGig

The rebrandings are, therefore:

Wi-Fi 1: 802.11b
Wi-Fi 2: 802.11a
Wi-Fi 3: 802.11g
Wi-Fi 4: 802.11n
Wi-Fi 5: 802.11ac

Sources:

Dial-Up:

• eFax Blog, 8 June 2018, How Fax Machines Work
• HowStuffWorks on “High-Speed” Dial-Up

DSL:

• ATT Internet Service on “What is DSL Internet?”

Cable, DOCSIS:

• Cisco, 3 September 2006, Cable DOCSIS 1.0 FAQ
• Hitron Americas, “Cable Modems 101: Difference Between DOCSIS 2.0, 3.0 & 3.1”
• Excentis, 27 October 2014, “The differences between US DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS, and will DOCSIS 3.1 eliminate them?”

Fiber ONTs (Optical Network Terminals) & MoCA:

• Hitron Americas, “Do You Need a Modem with an ONT?”
• Pilot, “What is an ONT?”
• Screenbeam, “How does MoCA work?”

Ethernet:

• Lifewire, 17 June 2020, ‘The Fundamentals of an Ethernet LAN, Explained‘
• How-To-Geek, 13 December 2016, “What Kind of Ethernet (Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a) Cable Should I Use?“

Gateways:

• Networkx Security on Residential Gateways

Hardware Rental Fees & ISPs using Gateways as Public Wi-Fi Hotspots:

• Ars Technica, 18 December 2020, “”Law banning “rental” fees for customer-owned routers takes effect Sunday”
• Allconnect, 15 April 2020, “Is Cox turning your home Wi-Fi into a public hotspot? The details you need to know”
• Stop the Cap!, 26 November 2019, “Spectrum Preparing to Turn Cable Modems/Routers Into Public Wi-Fi Hotspots“
• Consumer Reports, 2 February 2017, “Lawsuit Offers Reminder to Avoid Cable-Company Router“

Website to help pick out a new Modem:

https://pickmymodem.com/

• Android Central, 18 December 2020, ‘Google has time to reflect on itself before antitrust trials begin in 2023‘
• CNN Business, 11 December 2020, ‘The antitrust case against Facebook: Here’s what you need to know’
• Android Central, 22 December 2020, ‘Google and Facebook made a shady pact to fight antitrust allegations’ (Jedi Blue)

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

Welcome to 2021 folks! We’ve finally left the hell hole of 2020, none of the problems from there can possibly get to us. Instead, US Congress made illegal streaming a felony, while Facebook and Google are… well, it’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. (We suppose, then, that 2020 can still affect us)

EPISODE MISTAKES: We referred to the last 2020 stimulus bill as the CARES Act. This was, in fact, the original stimulus bill that passed (which provided $1200 per individual). The bill we are referring to is the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which included the felony streaming rider bill.

Sources:

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (includes “Protecting Lawful Streaming Act”):

• US Congress Website, H.R.133 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)

Proposed DMCA Revisions & Notice-and-take down/stay down:

• National Journal, 22 December 2020, “‘Notice-and-stay-down’ set to be sticking point in new online-piracy fight“ (Paywalled, Twitter Source here)
• Electronic Frontier Foundation, 21 January 2016, ““Notice-and-Stay-Down” Is Really “Filter-Everything””

Section 230:

• Electronic Frontier Foundation, 9 December 2020, ‘It’s Not Section 230 President Trump Hates, It’s the First Amendment’
• The Atlantic, 3 January 2021, ‘The 1996 Law That Ruined the Internet‘
• CBS News, 3 January 2021, ‘Why victims of internet lies want Section 230 repealed’
• Electronic Frontier Foundation, 3 December 2020, ‘Section 230 is Good, Actually’

Facebook & Google Antitrust Allegations / “Jedi Blue”:

• Android Central, 18 December 2020, ‘Google has time to reflect on itself before antitrust trials begin in 2023‘
• CNN Business, 11 December 2020, ‘The antitrust case against Facebook: Here’s what you need to know’
• Android Central, 22 December 2020, ‘Google and Facebook made a shady pact to fight antitrust allegations’ (Jedi Blue)

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

A short update of what’s going on with our Winter Break!

tl;dl:

• Livestreams are rescheduled to every other Friday, starting 11 December, then December 25th, and so on and so forth. (These are still on Instagram)
• Season 3 will be airing in the last week of January, in order for us to have time to research our topics fully and figure out a better editing workflow across the board.

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

Ah, the internet; the place where you can get entertainment and news on the go. It’s even useful for talking to your loved ones. Can you do all of those things at once? Well, maybe, provided you have a fast internet connection (rare in rural areas), and a lot of money to spend on it. Why do those prices always go up? Monopolies! Can you do anything about those? Maybe!

EPISODE MISTAKES/NOTES: The Connect America Fund defines broadband as 10Mbps Down, 1Mbps up. We disagree with this definition.

Sources:

ISP Monopolies:

• Cord Cutters News, 19 September 2019, ‘Spectrum, Altice, & Cable One Have an Internet Monopoly in Over Half of Their Markets‘
• Vox, 18 December 2014, ‘Here’s the secret to getting a lower cable bill‘
• Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 12 August 2020, ‘Report: Most Americans Have No Real Choice in Internet Providers‘
• Electronic Frontier Foundation, 22 May 2019, ‘Broadband Monopolies Are Acting Like Old Phone Monopolies. Good Thing Solutions to That Problem Already Exist‘

Municipal Internet:

• Consumer Reports, 20 June 2017, ‘Are City-Owned Municipal Broadband Networks Better?‘
• Broadband Now, 13 May 2020, ‘Municipal Broadband Is Roadblocked Or Outlawed In 22 States‘

Connect America Fund:

• FCC Website, Connect America Fund
• TechCrunch, 2 February 2018, ‘FCC gets ready to kick off $2 billion rural broadband fund’
• Jackson Free Press, 13 October 2020, ‘PSC Requests Full Audit of AT&T’s Connect America Fund II Efforts, AT&T Responds’

Business Insider, 21 January 2020, ‘My internet company charges me twice as much for internet as other companies because I have no choice, but 5G will fix that‘

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

Piracy on the internet, the only form of piracy where no people are physically hurt. Instead, it affects various industries in different ways, ranging from taking money from publishers to making things… more accessible? Tune in to learn more!

Sources:

• Technopedia, Software Piracy Definition
• Windows Central, 13 November 2017, ‘How aggressive DRM in games only hurts the consumer‘
• Youtube Channel Noclip, 23 July 2018, ‘GOG: Preserving Gaming’s Past & Future’
• The DePaulia, 23 October 2011, ‘Anti-piracy software punishes customers, not pirates‘

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

DRM, also known as Digital Rights Management, is the mechanism from which the Netflix is provided for your Chill. How do publishers retain control of their copyrighted content, all while allowing you to still enjoy it? That’s DRM at work. The issue is, DRM has invaded many different industries (see: video games as well as tractors). How does this affect you? Tune in and find out!

Sources:

• DigitalGuardian’s Blog, 15 October 2018, ‘What is Digital Rights Management?‘
• Guru3D, 10 November 2020, ‘Lawsuit against EA using Securom’
• How-To Geek, 16 September 2020, ‘HP’s Ink Subscription Has DRM That Disables Your Printer Cartridges‘
• ConsumerAffairs, 28 August 2014, ‘Keurig competitors crack company’s DRM code‘

On John Deere Tractors:

• Vice, 21 March 2017, ‘Why American Farmers Are Hacking Their Tractors With Ukrainian Firmware’
• Vice, 11 September 2018, ‘Farmer Lobbying Group Sells Out Farmers, Helps Enshrine John Deere’s Tractor Repair Monopoly’
• Wired, 19 September 2020, ‘John Deere Just Swindled Farmers out of Their Right to Repair‘

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

Your smartphone, your smartwatch, your… ventilator? What could all of these things possibly have in common? That’s right!- they’re expensive. Worse than that, none of these devices can be easily repaired, if at all. Why is this the case, and is there anything we can do about it?

Sources:

Apple Centric Issues:

• iFixit, 7 April 2017, ‘Sorry Folks, iPhone 7 Home Buttons Aren’t User Replaceable’
• ExtremeTech, 27 September 2019, ‘Apple Will Now Warn If Your Screen Is Not ‘Genuine’ After Repair’
• ExtremeTech, 25 May 2018, ‘https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/270055-documents-reveal-apple-was-aware-of-iphone-6-bendgate-issues-before-launch’
• Louis Rossman/Rossman Group on Apple Authorized Service Centers

“Warranty Void If Removed” is illegal:

• DigitalTrends, 11 April 2018, ‘Those ‘warranty void if removed’ stickers are illegal, says the FTC’
• Vice, 10 April 2018, ‘FTC Says ‘Warranty Void If Removed’ Stickers Are Bullshit, Warns Manufacturers They’re Breaking the Law’

Medical Device Repair:

• CBS News, 8 July 2020, ‘Manufacturers hinder repairs of crucial COVID hospital equipment, critics warn’
• The American Prospect, 12 May 2020, ‘Coronavirus Reveals Consequences of Restricted Repair’
• Plastics Technology, 5 May 2020, ‘Coronavirus Emergency: Ventilator Valves 3D Printed at Hospital’
• Tech Times, 17 March 2020, ‘Maker of $11,000 Ventilator Valves Threatens to Sue Volunteers Using $1 3D-Printed Replicas That Just Saved 10 Coronavirus Patients!‘
• Medical Device Network, 18 March 2020, ‘Covid-19: start-up that saved lives with 3D-printed valve may face legal action’
• iFixit, Medical Device Repair Section

On Right to Repair:

• The New York Times, 23 October 2020, ‘Fix, or Toss? The ‘Right to Repair’ Movement Gains Ground‘
• European Commission website, page for the EU Circular Economy Action Plan

Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/

Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH