Cutting the Cable and Gaining More Options for Less

So I finally got around to writing this blog about getting rid of those nasty satellite /cable TV bills but still having lots of options for viewing. So I will tell you my setup and it may sound a little complicated to setup it really isn't and although there is a little bit of money to put out in the beginning its well worth it in the end.

So things I had to buy or already had.

1. So we have two tv's so I bought two Roku boxes on XD and one XS the only real difference is the higher prices one the XD has an ethernet port and usb port so you can put a usb stick directly in it to view Pictures/Videos directly on you TV.

Cost = 109.99 for XD and 89.99 for XS one time cost.

2.You will need a wireless router for your Network an N would be preferably for speed of video files and live streaming service such as Netflix.

3.Most important piece to the system working is your ISP you need one with an unlimited cap or a very high usage cap as you don't want to incur nasty overage prices. The one I have is Nexicom DSL which is 6mb download speeds and NO CAP.

Cost = 39.95 / month

4. Now in order to expand your viewing experiences and channel option you will need to add a laptop or desktop computer attached to your network somewhere preferably something with at least dual core chip as you need the processing power for videostreaming.

5. So now comes to the option channel wise. With the Roku it has a built in Netflix app so I pay 7.99 for Netflix a month which gives you lots of options to watch. But I also wanted more options so thats where the laptop comes in. I also installed a service called http://www.unblock-us.com/11133.html/ it installs directly on your router a slight modification and this allows you to switch your netflix to any netflix feed around the world therefore giving a ton more content options. Also this allows you access to a bunch of US services other wise unable to access you can even just go to US network sites on laptop to watch shows or ipad or smartphone as long as you are on homenetwork.

Cost 4.99 / month

Now Final piece to the puzzle has two options. The free or the Pay option.

The roku allows you to use a channel called PLEX which you run a server portion on the laptop or desktop on your network (which must stay on in order to do this) you can add various plugin (channels) to Plex in order to watch different networks eg. City TV/CTV/Global these are all non-live programs but appear the day after live broadcasts. OR you can install a different service call Playon which is a 49.99 lifetime cost but the channel options included are huge and you can get plugins for it such as Veetle or Justin.tv that allow you to watch first run movies. Also there are plugins available that give you 100's of Channels of LIVE TV from all over the US and a few Canadians plus tons of international and loads of sports.


So now does this save money. So in my breakdown of cost goes like this.

Previous Cost of TV watching

Starchoice service = 65.00 / month
Internet (Explornet) =55.00 /month with cap of 20gig
Total cost per month = 120 /month
Yearly cost = 1440 / year


New Cost after inital output of

Roxu boxes = 189.00
Playon.tv 49.99

Monthy costs are

Nexicom 39.95/month
Unblock-us 4.99/month
Netflix 7.99/month.
Total Monthy Costs = 52.99/month
Total Yearly cost = 635.88 / year

Even if I add the 1 time Cost of Roku/Playon in of so 873.88 I am still saving over $566 a year and Have a ton more viewing options at my fingertips.


Please contact for further help.

The Power of Technology to Change Young Lives

The Power Of Technology to Change Young Lives

So as most of you know I do work in the IT field and do deal with both adults and indirectly with students in that field. However what I still see today is rather shocking in a way and that is the shear ignorance of the capability and degree in which today's technology and social media can actually be used for the good not just the mundane or evil. Its still shocks me when I have an educator responsible for a large group of teenagers come up to me and ask "What's this twitter thing?" or "What does it mean to put something on someones wall". Yes those are two questions I have been asked. Now I do know that there could be and in some cases are a large generational gap between adults and students and that technology does change at an exponential rate but I really don't believe this is an excuse to be ignorant and oblivious to what is going in the world around you. I hope for any parents, educators or any person that is responsible for the supervision of children now will take the time and learn about today's tech like smart phones,social media, even just the internet and its capabilities. I have now completed a very good training course in Violence Threat Risk Assessment and I could almost guarantee that half of the people reading this blog that have teenagers do one of the major (I don't want to say mistakes) but lets call them guidelines when it comes to tech in the home.

#1. Don't let your kids have computers in there rooms. Standalone computers and laptops both have things like webcams built in which can be a very bad gateway to problems. And you really should have the computers in a central location where you know what is going on if at all possible.

and #2 for bloody well sake learn the tech. You need to know what lol or lmao or POS etc etc mean. It is a new language and if you don't speak it you will be lost in the technology jungle.

I guess what I am trying to say is that we as adults need to educate ourselves  on what the youth of today are doing and using to communicate so that we can keep up know what is going on.

This clip is a very real example of how todays tech can be used for good not evil in helping possibly save young peoples lives.

Thanks for reading!

The Peterborough Exagerrator Strikes Again!!!!

Well once again the Peterborough Exagerrator everyone's favorite local newspaper (not) has put there oh so wonderful slant on another local story. Seems that Mr.Mayor Darryl Bennett had a run in with one of our local umm.... whats the word I am looking for ....... 99% citizens. First read the article from the Examiner http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3549380 and then watch the video http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/1346572--angry-man-confronts-peterborough-mayor-daryl-bennett-outside-city-hall You will see that Mayor Bennett did nothing to "calm" this man down in fact his arrogant 1% attitude just added fuel to the fire. I am sure if the camera was not there he may have had some other words to say. You can certainly tell by Mayor Bennett's body language and attitude in his speech that he doesn't want anything to do with talking to this citizen (who wasn't really doing thing the proper way either). Unfortunately we now have a Mayor that the city must live with that is very much a 1% 'r and the city will suffer. Lets just hope he brings some industry and jobs to this town not just a bunch of garbage retail and call centres like Mayor before him...I think perhaps Darryl should take some Anti-bullying classes to help his term along a bit and bring him down to the common folk.

For Defintion of 1%'er see  see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street .

FIRST CRUNCHY BITE

First Post ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!

I am sure like many other citizens in the Peterborough area we have heard enough about PCVS, yes it is horrible that ANY High School has to close but this is an economic reality. It does come down to dollar and cents no matter what anyone says and PCVS has been on the chopping block since I was in High School (yes over 20yrs ago). I did attend the ARC meeting that was held at Adam Scott CVI (my high school) and quite honestly the only thing PCVS had to defend itself with was some very dramatic and well-read speeches. I agree that school spirit is something that is hard to give up but the argument that student won’t be accepted and tolerance is lower at other schools is a bunch of garbage. If our schools are that horrible for tolerance and acceptance then there is a much bigger problem we as a community have to examine. The High School years are really about what you make of them and the students of PCVS need to accept the harsh unfair reality that there school is closing and move on. Take all this money you raised to go to court and create bursaries for your current students so they can go on and enjoy post-secondary education. All a court case and injunction is going to do is waste more taxpayers dollars that could be used for other more valuable purposes. I know there is a lot of money and influence behind the PCVS case why else did you manage to raise 56K to get a national tv show to recognized your cause (come on it wasn’t just about spreading the net). But let’s get real move on to TASS or whichever school you choose and make the best of it and get on with enjoying your school years. Good fight but time to move on.  Oh and before I get lots of hate mail I do remember a time when I was in school that this process was happening and they wanted to close Adam Scott and luckily that didn’t happen. Guess you can’t get lucky every time.

Thanks for listening that’s my crunchy bite for the week!!!!