5 ms·

I consider a lot of "smart" devices and IoT artifacts as pollution, as far as security and reliability are concerned. Yes, let's take long-lived hardware and e

I consider a lot of "smart" devices and IoT artifacts as pollution, as far as security and reliability are concerned. Yes, let's take long-lived hardware and embed short-lived networked software in it, and do so in an environment where there are no economic or regulatory incentives to keep them patched over the expected life of the hardware. Thanks for the innovation, tech industry.

esotericn 7y ago
It's pollution in general. The marketing shit getting people to buy 4K TVs when a 20 year old person struggles to see the difference from the other end of the room is literally producing unnecessary technology when the old stuff was just fine. Add on artificial software breakage and it becomes even more extreme.
- asark 7y ago
  HDR and larger color gamut's nice. Deeper blacks are nice. Agree 4k's more useful for monitors than TVs, where it's bottom of the list of important modern upgrades to ordinary hi-def TV, IMO, unless you're rocking a legit home theater, as in projector and huge room and all. Semi-properly-set-up surround's way more important than 4k, though also expensive and very inconvenient in most people's TV spaces.
  - esotericn 7y ago
    Yes, yes, for videophiles it matters. The vast majority of people buy the shit because it's pushed on them. My grandmother doesn't bloody need 4K.
    - asark 7y ago
      And they're pushing 8k now! I don't know who that's even for. The "actually benefits from 4K" slice of the market's already pretty damn small.
- 14 7y ago
  To a point I agree. I have a 1080 and my friend picked up just a 2k screen. His it’s like getting an eye massage while watching tv the picture is just so crisp. I do dislike smart TVs however. Very thankful my dumb Samsung has lasted about 10 years and still going strong. Are there any dumb TVs left to buy?
  - esotericn 7y ago
    I have a 4K Samsung Smart TV that I use as a monitor. It just doesn't get on the network. Has never been updated but it's airgapped so who cares. Of course if it gets on some open WiFi or has a sim card in it I'm knackered. Doh. Should probably crack it open and remove the antenna.
    - RandomBacon 7y ago
      Unless you read the code and flashed the TV yourself, you have no idea if it periodically checks for unsecured wifi networks to connect to. So yes, I would remove the antenna. Someone somewhere probably thought, "Hey, let's help out our customers that may be too lazy or not smart enough to figure out how to connect, and do it automatically for them!"
      - saagarjha 7y ago
        Surreptitiously connecting to a network that you don’t own or have permission to use seems like it would fall afoul of the CFAA.
        ryacko 7y ago
        Radio piracy isn’t actually a vulnerability though.
        saagarjha 7y ago
        I don't think that matters. The Act has verbiage along the lines of accessing a computer without authorization, which is what you're doing by hopping on the network.

esotericn 7y ago

It's pollution in general. The marketing shit getting people to buy 4K TVs when a 20 year old person struggles to see the difference from the other end of the room is literally producing unnecessary technology when the old stuff was just fine. Add on artificial software breakage and it becomes even more extreme.

asark 7y ago
HDR and larger color gamut's nice. Deeper blacks are nice. Agree 4k's more useful for monitors than TVs, where it's bottom of the list of important modern upgrades to ordinary hi-def TV, IMO, unless you're rocking a legit home theater, as in projector and huge room and all. Semi-properly-set-up surround's way more important than 4k, though also expensive and very inconvenient in most people's TV spaces.
- esotericn 7y ago
  Yes, yes, for videophiles it matters. The vast majority of people buy the shit because it's pushed on them. My grandmother doesn't bloody need 4K.
  - asark 7y ago
    And they're pushing 8k now! I don't know who that's even for. The "actually benefits from 4K" slice of the market's already pretty damn small.
14 7y ago
To a point I agree. I have a 1080 and my friend picked up just a 2k screen. His it’s like getting an eye massage while watching tv the picture is just so crisp. I do dislike smart TVs however. Very thankful my dumb Samsung has lasted about 10 years and still going strong. Are there any dumb TVs left to buy?
- esotericn 7y ago
  I have a 4K Samsung Smart TV that I use as a monitor. It just doesn't get on the network. Has never been updated but it's airgapped so who cares. Of course if it gets on some open WiFi or has a sim card in it I'm knackered. Doh. Should probably crack it open and remove the antenna.
  - RandomBacon 7y ago
    Unless you read the code and flashed the TV yourself, you have no idea if it periodically checks for unsecured wifi networks to connect to. So yes, I would remove the antenna. Someone somewhere probably thought, "Hey, let's help out our customers that may be too lazy or not smart enough to figure out how to connect, and do it automatically for them!"
    - saagarjha 7y ago
      Surreptitiously connecting to a network that you don’t own or have permission to use seems like it would fall afoul of the CFAA.
      - ryacko 7y ago
        Radio piracy isn’t actually a vulnerability though.
        saagarjha 7y ago
        I don't think that matters. The Act has verbiage along the lines of accessing a computer without authorization, which is what you're doing by hopping on the network.