1983 -1 = AMC Fail
Monday, 9 June 2014 00:48![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_phil_physicsSo... American Movie Classics (AMC) has a new series Halt and Catch on Fire about cloning an IBM Personal Computer in 1983. Alas it started last Sunday, and lacking a TV guide in the hospital, I missed it and watched a very entertaining Cutthroat Kitchen with the judges as contestants.
But I'm home, have better control of a TV, plus a newspaper. Alas II, they weren't rebroadcasting the first episode at all or at least any convenient time I could find. And the second episode was at 10pm tonight. Not to worry, it's 2pm and ON TO THE INTERNET.
Back when a friend of ours was one of the talking heads in the show Big History on History 2 Channel, we got an HDMI cable and the History Channel app for the Kindle Fire HD and were in business on our TV.
Alas III, although the AMC website promises full episodes, they wouldn't play on Silk on the Kindle Fire HD. No problem, check for an AMC app. Success!
Alas IV, app fail. Oh sure, the free app installed and it promised viewing full episodes. But the one option loaded the AMC page on Silk -- and we already knew that it didn't work. The option marked video? It hung.
Partly this was my mistake -- I usually go through the reviews, which would've told me that it wouldn't play full episodes. That video option? Apparently just plays clips... if it worked. Lulled by how well the History Channel app worked. I deleted the useless AMC app.
And I left a 1-star review for the app on Amazon.
I'll fire up the Asus Windows 7 machine and see if that works later.
Meanwhile, saw episode 2, which was pretty interesting. I've always thought they should do a movie of The Soul of a New Machine, but it's equally dated and involves mainframes -- PCs are likely more accessible to a wider audience.
We'll see...
Dr. Phil
But I'm home, have better control of a TV, plus a newspaper. Alas II, they weren't rebroadcasting the first episode at all or at least any convenient time I could find. And the second episode was at 10pm tonight. Not to worry, it's 2pm and ON TO THE INTERNET.
Back when a friend of ours was one of the talking heads in the show Big History on History 2 Channel, we got an HDMI cable and the History Channel app for the Kindle Fire HD and were in business on our TV.
Alas III, although the AMC website promises full episodes, they wouldn't play on Silk on the Kindle Fire HD. No problem, check for an AMC app. Success!
Alas IV, app fail. Oh sure, the free app installed and it promised viewing full episodes. But the one option loaded the AMC page on Silk -- and we already knew that it didn't work. The option marked video? It hung.
Partly this was my mistake -- I usually go through the reviews, which would've told me that it wouldn't play full episodes. That video option? Apparently just plays clips... if it worked. Lulled by how well the History Channel app worked. I deleted the useless AMC app.
And I left a 1-star review for the app on Amazon.
I'll fire up the Asus Windows 7 machine and see if that works later.
Meanwhile, saw episode 2, which was pretty interesting. I've always thought they should do a movie of The Soul of a New Machine, but it's equally dated and involves mainframes -- PCs are likely more accessible to a wider audience.
We'll see...
Dr. Phil
