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FUN FRIDAY: Your red scarf matches your eyes

There’s an old saying that if you remember the 1960s, you weren’t really there. Well, I guess I was there, because I don’t remember it. I do remember the music, though, and it’s pretty clear that the period from 1967-1971 was one of the most fertile periods in popular music that the world has ever seen. Right smack dab in the middle of that period, which saw bands from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin doing their best work, came Guy Marks. Marks was one of those reliable comedians who never really broke into the A-Lister’s club, but was always a pleasure whenever he appeared. Think of Fortune Feimster today as a sort of analogue. His stock-in-trade was impressions. Rich Little was the king of those back then, but I’d argue that he was...
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WRONG TOOL/RIGHT TOOL: Mount a dish on your patio

As a DIYer, you have choices when you do installations at home. Some of these choices are smart, while others… not so much. On the other hand, sometimes you have two choices that seem really about equal. Maybe one conforms to building code, and maybe you’re not so worried about that. Here’s the way to know that you’re making the right choice. In this case we’ll be looking at putting a satellite dish on the patio for a temporary installation. Over the years, this has been a common sight for apartment dwellers as well as people who just don’t want to climb up on the roof. However, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. WRONG TOOL: Bucket filled with concrete. The most common way of stabilizing an antenna or satellite mast is a...
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: Avocado antenna

I’m guessing I was pretty hard up for blog topics back in August of 2018 when I published a scathing exposé called “A designer-colored antenna?” In it, you’ll find my thoughts about whether we should start making antennas that are more than the typical white and silver. In the five years since, precisely no one has taken me up on the challenge of creating antennas whose colors interest people as much as the programming they receive. So much for me changing the world. Still you have to admit it’s not such a bad idea One of the well-worn tropes about antennas is that they’re ugly. HOAs have the right to keep you from putting up an antenna that’s larger than 39″ in any direction, and in most cases have the right to force you to put that...
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Shattering Boundaries: The Rise of the Digital Nomad

In today’s digital age, the concept of work has transcended the traditional office environment. The rise of remote work opportunities has given birth to a new breed of professionals known as digital nomads – individuals who work remotely while exploring the world. Becoming a digital nomad offers freedom, flexibility, and adventure. In this article, we’ll delve into the modern world of work that has evolved beyond the confines of a traditional office setup. Shop Solid Signal for top-quality for consumer electronics accessories. Best Jobs for Digital Nomads The first step to becoming a digital nomad is choosing the right remote-friendly career. Several professions lend themselves perfectly to this lifestyle. Consider exploring...
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Eco-Friendly Gadgets: Embracing Sustainability in Consumer Electronics

As environmental concerns grow, consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of their purchasing decisions and their impact on the planet. The tech industry, with its rapid pace of innovation and production, has a significant role to play in promoting sustainability. Thankfully, a wave of eco-friendly gadgets is emerging, offering environmentally conscious alternatives that don’t compromise on performance. In this article, we will explore some of these sustainable innovations and how they contribute to reducing our ecological footprint. Solar-Powered Chargers: Harvesting Clean Energy on the Go The ubiquitous use of smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices has led to an increased demand for on-the-go charging solutions. Enter...
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What’s the best entertainment solution for your boat?

No one goes out on the water to watch TV or play on their cell phone. I get it. The water is gorgeous and the time away is priceless. But let’s be honest. There’s going to be a time you want to kick back and use your devices. It happens. The question is, what’s the best solution. Let’s take a look at the three options and how they might fit into your overall entertainment while you’re out on the water. Starlink Everyone is talking about Starlink right now. Of course they are, because it’s new and exciting and has a lot of promise. However, the fact that it’s so new means that it just might not be time to jump into it. First and foremost, Starlink for marine is expensive. You’ll pay up to 10 times the price for marine equipment before...
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Let’s clear this up right now. How many H26K receivers can you put on a SWM-30?

DIRECTV’s H26K commercial receiver is the new, hot product for businesses. After years of working with the older H25, businesses now have a new receiver that’s more reliable, faster, and offers features like 4K that businesses have been asking for. News of the H26K leaked out to the internet about a month and a half ago, and an internal document has been circulating online that has been confusing folks. Let me be clear, this internal document was never meant to be in the hands of anyone but commercial installers so there’s a lot of detail that was left out of it. The thought there was that commercial installers would already have a lot of the backstory. However, regular folks have been picking apart this document for several weeks now...
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Ken Reid and Shelley Herman

November 16-22, 1985 This week Ken welcomes former NBC Page, game show royalty, and writer of the new memoir “My Peacock Tale”, the great Shelley Herman. Ken and Shelley discuss North Hollywood, Allee Willis, growing up in Calabasas, ideal childhoods, The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson’s son, going to tapings of The Midnight Special, working at Sears, seeing Elvis in Vegas as a teenager, the unique role NBC Pages played, being mistaken as Erik Estrada’s girlfriend, forced police uniform wearing, drunken celebrities, SNL, watching the East Coast feed, Gilda, the NY and LA TV production differences, The Not Ready for Prime Time Players, The Dating Game, chaperones, serial killers, Susan Elliot, stand up comedy, Off the Wall...
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The history of area codes

There’s an old, almost forgotten movie called The Last Action Hero. In it, Schwarzenegger makes fun of himself and the action roles he was known for. Within it is this very 1990s exchange, which even takes place in a Blockbuster Video because of course it does. I think about this little clip every time I think of the history of area codes. Which, being a tech blogger, I do a bit more than other people do. Life before area codes Most people today know that the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell Elisha Grey in 1876. But, most of us don’t stop to think about how the system grew. We’re all old enough to remember that landlines existed, but before that it gets a bit murky. The first telephone systems were really more like...
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Podcast #542: Why does MLB still have blackout rules?

This podcast is sponsored by Signal Connect. Call 888-233-7563 for entertainment for business, home, RV, and boat! Listen to the podcast your way! Just choose one of the following: Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you! Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below. Amazon iTunes Google Podcasts Overcast TuneIn Spreaker Player.fm Spotify Option 3: Download the podcast in MP3 format. Option 4: Paste the following link into your favorite podcast...
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Someone INVENTED it: the Zipper

For most people it’s impossible to imagine life without a zipper. Really. How would you close your pants? Buttons? What about your purse? What about your laptop bag? Zippers are everywhere. Yet, believe it or not, it wasn’t until just before the second World War that they got popular. Some of us still have relatives who grew up in the age before zippers. That’s weird, right? It’s only been 100 years or so. Unbelievable, right? The modern zipper was invented around 1913 as a replacement for awful hook-and-eye fasteners (if you don’t know what those are, that tells you how much better zippers are.) It was an improvement over earlier work done by an engineer named Gideon Sundback. What Sundback did was take the fasteners used at the time...
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DIRECTV for Business is different from DIRECTV for home. Here’s why

Signal Group, the parent company of this blog, is a DIRECTV Dealer. Actually we have several dealerships. One is the regular DIRECTV residential dealership, serving DIYers who want their satellite systems to be “just so.” However, there’s another side to us that most folks don’t realize. It’s DIRECTV for Business. How DIRECTV for Business is different DIRECTV for Business dealers specialize in serving the needs of, well, business. (Sort of makes sense.) We’re specially trained to put in large installations that take advantage of the latest technology. Want 50 TVs playing 50 programs in your bar? You need DIRECTV for Business. Want to wire your entire apartment complex with only one dish per building? We can do that for you. There’s no...
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Can over-the-air TV break its “boomer addiction?”

Here’s some stuff you already knew. The generation born in the US between 1946 and 1964 was, at the time, the largest generation in history. The term “baby boom” was coined to describe it. At the time, a “boom” was an economic condition where everyone tried to get into the same industry at the same time. That generation was also the first to watch television from a young age, in some cases since birth. They developed an incredibly strong attachment to TV. Not surprising, since for most of their lives, it was the only pervasive way to get news and information that included moving images. It was much more engaging than its competitors like radio and newspapers. The youngest boomer is now, as I write this, 58 and about to turn 59. The...
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The quick guide to adding DVR service to your Wally

One of the neat things about DISH hardware is its flexibility. For well over a decade, DISH has had the ability to add external hard drives to their receivers, turning them into single-tuner DVRs. While one tuner may not give you all the recording capabilities you need, it can be perfect for a receiver on a road trip. You can load up the hard drive with content while you’re at home and take both the receiver and hard drive with you. Connect the receiver to a portable satellite dish and you’ll get the best of live and recorded TV, even if there’s no internet service where you are. What you’ll need to know First, you’ll need a Wally. This is DISH’s single-tuner receiver. If you plan on using it at home with your Hopper DVR, you may need...
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