Comments on: The sky was the color of a birthday cake tuned to a dead channel http://boingboing.net/2013/03/18/the-sky-was-the-color-of-a-bir.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Tue, 21 May 2013 03:57:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: tubacat http://boingboing.net/2013/03/18/the-sky-was-the-color-of-a-bir.html#comment-1682685 tubacat Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:44:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=219415#comment-1682685 Happy Birthday! I was just thinking about Neuromancer the other day, and how buzzy it was to share it with friends. Something new under the sun (or within the bits) at the time... Happy Birthday! I was just thinking about Neuromancer the other day, and how buzzy it was to share it with friends. Something new under the sun (or within the bits) at the time…

]]> By: robot_makes_music http://boingboing.net/2013/03/18/the-sky-was-the-color-of-a-bir.html#comment-1682577 robot_makes_music Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:50:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=219415#comment-1682577 mine still displays static when set to "TV" input, but we have no antenna attached. Dunno what it would do if we plugged a HD antenna in.  mine still displays static when set to “TV” input, but we have no antenna attached. Dunno what it would do if we plugged a HD antenna in. 

]]> By: Lemoutan http://boingboing.net/2013/03/18/the-sky-was-the-color-of-a-bir.html#comment-1682328 Lemoutan Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:59:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=219415#comment-1682328 Maybe it's finally the age of the colourless green idea. Maybe it’s finally the age of the colourless green idea.

]]> By: andygates http://boingboing.net/2013/03/18/the-sky-was-the-color-of-a-bir.html#comment-1682321 andygates Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=219415#comment-1682321 Discussing this at work, we discovered a co-worker who genuinely thought it meant flat, featureless blue.   Speculation on whether or not there was a floating AUX NO SIGNAL hologram was interrupted. Discussing this at work, we discovered a co-worker who genuinely thought it meant flat, featureless blue.  

Speculation on whether or not there was a floating AUX NO SIGNAL hologram was interrupted.

]]> By: NelC http://boingboing.net/2013/03/18/the-sky-was-the-color-of-a-bir.html#comment-1682279 NelC Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:17:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=219415#comment-1682279 'The sky was the color of a birthday cake covered in stale icing'? ‘The sky was the color of a birthday cake covered in stale icing’?

]]> By: fuzzyfuzzyfungus http://boingboing.net/2013/03/18/the-sky-was-the-color-of-a-bir.html#comment-1682244 fuzzyfuzzyfungus Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:42:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=219415#comment-1682244 Post digital switch-over, I think that question is now a category error. With an analog apparatus, background RF in an otherwise unused channel was processed and splattered onto the screen, same as anything else. With the digital arrangements, if the decoder can't pick up a more-or-less-complete stream in the codec of choice, it doesn't pass anything to the display, leaving the 'color' of a dead channel wholly arbitrary. Blue seems to be popular. Unless the correct arbitrary choice is standardized somewhere, 'color' isn't really a property that inheres to 'lack of a decodable bitstream', any more than 'primality' is a property that inheres to a trout. Post digital switch-over, I think that question is now a category error. With an analog apparatus, background RF in an otherwise unused channel was processed and splattered onto the screen, same as anything else. With the digital arrangements, if the decoder can’t pick up a more-or-less-complete stream in the codec of choice, it doesn’t pass anything to the display, leaving the ‘color’ of a dead channel wholly arbitrary. Blue seems to be popular.

Unless the correct arbitrary choice is standardized somewhere, ‘color’ isn’t really a property that inheres to ‘lack of a decodable bitstream’, any more than ‘primality’ is a property that inheres to a trout.

]]> By: Dawn Endico http://boingboing.net/2013/03/18/the-sky-was-the-color-of-a-bir.html#comment-1682234 Dawn Endico Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=219415#comment-1682234 What color is a dead channel these days? Blue? Black? What color is a dead channel these days? Blue? Black?

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