mirror, mirror: the avengers

After having streaming television for a few months we are still trying to figure out how some things work. Like for instance, why some programs are available with our Hulu Plus — but only on my computer, not directly streaming to the TV. Luckily, we can do a work-around, by mirroring the laptop screen to the television, so last night I was able to share the British cult classic series The Avengers with the kid. We watched a few episodes, and I think she liked the mixture of science fiction, humor, and action-adventure. She jumped up and did some karate along with Emma Peel during "The Winged Avenger."





Emma and Steed discuss the case at his apartment



When she's not fighting crime, Emma enjoys more artistic pursuits

Although I'm still not sure about the online-only availability, mirroring does open up many more possibilities, as there are old films available on YouTube and other websites (Internet Archive, Open Culture) too ... Cable really does seem so last century lately.

a new way (for me) to watch tv

After yesterday's post of bemoaning the current state of television, and with a little prompting and encouragement from friends far and near, I put my money where my mouth was, and dumped my cable. At least most of it. I am still using Comcast for my internet and streaming and HD box for my tv at the moment, but I am no longer a premium cable subscriber. For the first time in a long time.

Right off the bat I am saving $66 a month, and if I swap out the box I have now for a just-HD box, I will save another $7.00. So what will I be watching, you might ask? I currently have a free month-long subscription to Netflix and free week-long subscription to Hulu Plus (Can't wait to start watching obscure Britcoms!). They are each 7.99 a month, so after the try-out, I can decide to do either/or or just go for both of them. I could add just HBO for another $15 a month, but since Game of Thrones won't be back for a while, I feel no immediate need for that. But when Dinklage season returns, so may I, for a few months at least.

After a lot of internet and Best Buy research I decided to implement all of this with Apple TV. It took two minutes to set up and instantly started streaming my iPhone, Flickr, and other content from the Cloud to the tv. Welcome to the future. And thanks again friends. You know who you are.
: )