At this point consumers are starting to wake up to the fact that the cable & dish network industry is changing. The birth of Netflix, Apple TV & Amazon Prime allowed viewers to watch their shows on demand and at a lower cost than traditional cable or dish services. Many people still subscribe to cable or dish and will add a service like Netflix to compliment their cable package. This is all about to change. Enter Kodi™.

This article will discuss the explosive growth of Kodi™ (formerly known as XBMC). We will review the main features of the service which include music, movies, photos & more. If you are curious about utilizing Kodi™ we will explore some of the top devices that run the software. And finally we will cover the future of Kodi™ and how it is at the forefront of the ever changing in-home entertainment industry.

Kodi™ is an award winning free and open source (GPL) software media center. It conveniently runs on Linux, OS X, Windows, iOS, and Adroid. More importantly it has a 10 foot user interface for use with your living room televisions and remote controls. So basically you can run Kodi from the comfort of your own couch! Kodi™ does not provide any media itself. The user must own content or manually point Kodi™ to 3rd party online services. The initial release was in 2002. It was originally produced as a independently developed media player application named Xbox Media Center for the very popular Xbox game console. Currently, Kodi™ is being used in many digital streaming players and has a simple to use interface for the non-techie consumer.

The main features the open source software provides are music, movies, TV shows, pictures & games. Kodi™ can play all of your music inluding AAC, MP3 and more. It has a cue sheet, tagging support, and smart playlists for ultimate control of your music collection. It can stream movies too! It supports all of the major video formats and sources. It can import these movies with full posters, trailers and more. Kodi™ offers the same features for your favorite TV shows as it does with movies. You can import your pictures into a data library and sort and filter them for a slideshow. You can even play and record live TV from the GUI interface. The Kodi™ software is packed with incredible features!

In order to access Kodi™ you will need a fast internet connection and a good quality streaming device. Here are 3 of the top devices that don’t have restrictions like Roku 3 or Apple TV:

The Dragon Box – The Dragon Box Quad Core Media Streaming Device has a sports emphasis focus and offers 8 GB of NAND flash memory.

The SkyStreamX – The SkyStreamX 4 Quad Core Android Smart TV Box comes with preloaded add ons an is an excellent Streaming Internet Media Player.

The DigiXStream – The DigiXStream DX4 Quad Core XBMC Android Media Box is also a great device that is very easy to use.


Its highly recommended to invest in a keyboard for these devices. They all come with remotes but if you are searching for a movie or show your thumb will get tired moving the cursor around!

The cable companies and dish networks do not want the average consumer to understand Kodi™. The software offers the consumer an incredible opportunity to save money. Once hooked up to your living room television it has the ability to eliminate the need for cable or your dish network. Kodi™ is the future and the growth of the company will explode as more and more people learn of it’s amazing features!

Man Caves and game rooms aren't just for sports fans! Everyone should be able to dedicate a room to their favorite hobbies and interests. With a little imagination, anyone can create the perfect space to house all the trappings of their hobbies. I proudly present to you 3 non-sports Man Cave ideas that are sure to get your creative juices flowing.

1. For The Comics Fan
If any hobbyist needed an entire room for his hobby it's a comic fan! First thing you'd want to do is find some attractive storage for all your long boxes (partly to make them look nicer, but also to protect them). Shelving for all your graphic novels and statues plays a vital role for the comics man cave. Spinner racks are particularly awesome ways to both display and store part of your collection. They also keep your favorite stories handy for when you want to enjoy them again (like when you want to re-read the Watchmen or the Dark Knight Returns). The walls are a great place to display your prized original comic art and posters by your favorite artists.

2. For The Anime Fan
Anime fans have no choice but to make a television the focal point of their Man Cave. Seeing how that's the case, you should definitely make sure that you have a new HDTV with a great picture so you can soak in all the anime awesomeness from your favorite movies and series. Other must have items are a Blu Ray player, a great surround sound system and a Netflix subscription. If your TV has the Netflix software baked into it, you can stream anime movies right to your set. Lastly, if there was ever a room that needed wall scrolls and anime movie posters, it's this one!

3. For The Star Wars Fan
Ahh, the holy grail of non sports Man Caves! A Star Wars Man Cave can take so many shapes when you think about it. You can go with a more classic and modest approach by simply hanging one of each of the Star Wars movie posters on the walls, or you can go all out by reproducing one of the key scenes or sets from the movies right in your room! It might prove difficult to try to replicate Dagobah in your man cave, but it might not be that much of a stretch to paint the walls black with stars. You might also want to get special wall mounting brackets to display your collection of replica light sabers, too! As with the previous man cave ideas above, an HDTV, Blu Ray player and surround system are an absolute must for this set up. It might not get you girls, but a Star Wars Man Cave would earn you the envy of your friends for sure!

I hope these ideas have given you the boost you need to get out there and try out a new theme for your Man Cave or at least to get your own man cave ideas flowing!

DATA SCIENTISTS AND THE DATA-DRIVEN WORLD

The world is flooded with a tremendous amount of data which is spawned on a daily basis in businesses. The rise of the internet and the introduction of social media platforms have led to an additional spike in the amount of data generated. It is necessary to extract useful insights from the data to add business value but these datasets alone cannot generate value. It requires professionals who have the expertise to handle these huge datasets and extract insights from the data. The skilled professionals are data scientists, who are considered a combination of scientific method, technology and mathematical skills and tactics.

APPLICATION OF DATA SCIENCE

Data science has spread its influence in almost every industry, whether healthcare, education or entertainment. The widespread development and advancement in the field of data science has proven how crucial it has become for the success of an organization in surpassing its competitors in cut-throat business competition.

Netflix, for example, is the most popular entertainment fad and is emerging as a craze among today’s generation. But how, you may wonder, does this relate to data science?

Well, the type of movies and TV series you watch influences your collection on the home page. Netflix automatically starts suggesting the movies and TV shows you should watch based on what you have watched already. This is all done by data scientists collecting and analyzing the data related to your previous selections.

The same thing works with YouTube. It also recommends the videos to watch based on the videos you have already viewed. This task is complex because it involves the use of specific computer programs and statistical algorithms by data scientists.

The craze of data science has forced the big Fortune 500 companies to adopt the techniques and methodologies related to data science. This has created a need for professional data scientists.

WHAT ALL RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ATTACHED WITH THE LIFE OF A DATA SCIENTIST?

The prime responsibility of a data scientist is to collect the datasets and to organize it with the help of analytical tools like Hadoop, SAS, R, Python etc. However, all of the responsibilities of the data scientist are listed below in detail.

1) Collecting, organizing, analyzing and interpreting the datasets.

2) Understanding the business problem and using both the historical and the current data to predict future trends.

3) Developing more innovative and advanced analytical methods.

4) Finding and uncovering the hidden solutions in the mass of data for the business problems, thus adding business value.

5) Presenting the results of the data analysis in a clear and detailed manner.

FINAL WORD

The buzz and the craze created by data science requires that you study the job in a detailed manner before pursuing a career in data science. The high salary and job prospects are a big draw. However, your personal tastes and your interest in numbers and patterns must be the criterion you use to determine if this career choice will suit you.

You know how you’re watching a movie, and somebody does something really cool, and you think, “Man, I wish I could do that!”

Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of movies on Netflix Instant. The streaming one, not the get the DVDs in the mail one.

On the one hand, it’s a lot cheaper than going to the movies. On the other hand, some of the movies you get on Netflix aren’t exactly blockbuster material, if you know what I mean.

In fact, a lot of the movies on there look like they were kind of made up as they went along. In somebody’s garage. Filmed with a web cam.

Not that anything’s wrong with making stuff up as you go along, just that the finished product isn’t always what we’d hoped.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that when I do see a movie in the theater, I don’t pay close attention like I used to.

Meaning I’m so used to watching movies while doing something else, if I miss an important part, I can just scan back to the scene I missed. Or a particularly funny scene.

Sometimes I’ll find myself sitting in a movie theater, fully engrossed with what’s going on up at the screen, when my mind starts to wander.

Then something happens, and I’m suddenly reaching for an imaginary remote so I can rewind to watch it again.

Sometimes this happens even when I’m paying attention. It’s rare, but with a well written dialogue, sometimes those characters up there will spit something out that kind of bends your mind a bit.

The first Sherlock Holmes, or the first Pirates of the Caribbean are two that come to mind.

Some of that dialogue comes so fast and twisted, that even the characters in the movie aren’t so sure what’s going on.

If there ever was a chance to emulate the behavior of movie characters in real life, this is it.

When you learn how to spit out mind bending language patterns like that, people won’t help but sit up and take notice.

Once you’ve got their attention, you can just keep feeding their minds these language patterns, leading their emotions and desires anywhere you want.

If your in sales, these are perfect. If you’re creating or enhancing relationships, these are perfect.

If you want to just have some fun playing with people, these are even more perfect.

Perfect because nobody will know what’s really going on.

They’ll just know that you suddenly became a lot more interesting, and the things you’re talking about, while they can’t really comprehend them, are absolutely amazing.

What would you do if you lost everything you owned except for the clothes on your back? For a lot of people without renters insurance this is a real question that happens every day. In America, only about 41% of people who rent have renters insurance, which is about 45 million people. Did you know that Netflix has over 50 million subscribers in the US alone? I know that figure includes people who own homes, but it’s crazy to think that there are more people who purchase one type of service to watch TV in our country than there are who own renters insurance.

If cost is a factor then I say let’s look at the numbers. The average cost of this coverage varies from state to state but ranges from $100-$200 a year, which is the same cost as Hulu, Netflix and Amazon prime. How is it that people are willing to risk everything they own to have a video service instead? This is not even considering the people who have all three.

Let’s talk about renters insurance and what it all will do for you. Did you know that if someone gets hurt on your property that you’re renting, you can be responsible for their damages? Renters insurance covers that. Did you know that if you were displaced from your home but were still required to pay rent, you may be stuck with paying for two places to live? It covers that too. Did you know that if a fire starts in your apartment complex and ruins all your stuff, you are responsible for replacing it? I will give you two guesses but only one will count. Did you know that most companies give you a discount for having a policy in place? Did you also know due to how cheap a renter’s policy is coupled with the discount, a lot of times it’s free?

How can we question if something that could prevent a situation that could change your whole life is needed? For the cost of a large value meal at McDonald’s you could get hundreds of thousands worth of coverage. If you don’t have renters insurance the first thing you should be doing after reading this is contacting your agent in regards to finding out what needs to be done to get a policy in place. You will sleep easier at night knowing that you made the right decision!

Most people hesitate to have their cable TV subscriptions discontinued because they worry about missing their favorite programs. This should not be a problem, though, as there are a number of alternatives to cable TV subscriptions. Some people watch episodes on YouTube (although a few days old). Others go online and try to find websites offering free live streaming of their favorite TV shows.

Yes, live streaming is the most popular of the alternatives to cable TV. Those who have discovered its wonders swear that it is the most practical substitute to cable TV subscription. Many, however, are still quite confused about what live streaming really has to offer. Knowing what happens when one streams live videos (or audio) will help you understand what live streaming means.

A live stream refers to multimedia (like a video) that is delivered continuously to you through a web server. Even if the video is still being delivered to your computer, you can already see its content. And you do not have to download the whole content just so you can watch it. You can immediately play the video or audio.

In order to watch your favorite shows via live streaming websites, you will need to have a good and steady Internet connection. Additionally, you should also have a stand-alone player or a plug-in for your Web browser. You’ll find sites online that will allow you to download a player for free. You’ll even be able to choose from among the most popular: Adobe Flash Player, Apple’s QuickTime, Microsoft Windows Media, and RealPlayer. Make sure that the video codex in your PC or Mac is up-to-date so that you can play any video format.

The next step is to find a good video streaming website. There are a lot of these sites, so you should take some time to study your options. You may have heard of Hulu, Netflix and Ubuntu. These are just three of the most popular streaming sites. Find out which one will work best for you:

• Hulu – this live streaming website allows you to watch full-feature movies and music videos in addition to your favorite TV shows. You will need Adobe Flash Player in order to stream videos from Hulu. After you open the website, you’ll find embedded video players. Choose the one that features the TV program or movie you want to watch. Live streaming from Hulu is made free courtesy of short advertisements that appear on the videos from time-to-time.

• Netflix – considered the leader in the Internet television network industry, Netflix is used by millions of viewers from different countries. Its Watch Instantly feature allows you to view your favorite shows and movies no matter where you are, as long as you are connected to the Internet. The first thing that you need to do is prepare your Netflix-ready device and connect it to your TV. Check your wireless Internet access and make sure it is good. After you open the Netflix application, your device will display a set of instructions that you need to follow in order to get the access code you need. Once you get the code, launch the Netflix website and enter the code. In a matter of minutes, you will be able to sit back, relax and enjoy your favorite TV program or movie.

• Ubuntu – while it is primarily known as an operating system, many are also aware that it offers a wealth of applications (for free) that aim to bring the computer experience a notch higher. Ubuntu TV has a built-in box office which makes it easy for you to find the TV show or movie you want to watch. All that you will need is your TV and you’ll be able to enjoy a variety of entertainment: TV (live and online), movies and even personal videos. Your video player should be either the Adobe Flash Player or the RealPlayer. Once your web browser is open, simply type in the URL of the video you want to view, click on the play button once the video player is displayed, and you’re ready to go!

If live video streaming is not for you, there are other alternatives to cable TV you can choose from. YouTube features videos of every kind, so you might just find what you are looking for there. You can also visit network websites and watch old episodes of your favorite TV shows. Or you can go the old-fashioned way and buy an antenna. It may not be a modern option, but it can deliver the free shows you want. And it is way cheaper than your cable TV subscription, too!

Happy viewing!

It's hard to ignore the fact that Americans are watching television and movies differently from how they did fifty, twenty, or even ten years ago. Movie rental storefronts – ubiquitous in the '80s,' 90s, and early '00s – have been replaced by services like RedBox and Netflix. Increases in movie ticket prices mean that only about thirty percent of the population goes to a movie in a given week, forcing theaters to offer discount ticket nights to get people in the door on weeknights. More and more people are choosing the comfortable, convenient, and cost-effective option of simply watching movies at home.

Sales in flat-screen, plasma, and LCD televisions confirm that people worldwide have been upgrading their TVs in order to achieve a more optimal home viewing experience. And with 29.2 million Netflix subscribers, 30 million HBO subscribers, 4 million paid Hulu subscribers, and 9.5 million RedBox rentals per week, it's clear that people are putting those newly upgraded televisions to work

But movie theaters do have a big advantage over home movie viewing, and that's not a reference to overpriced popcorn. Audio is a crucial component of the movie watching experience, and it's significantly impeded when you are only using the speakers that are connected to your television. Fortunately, there are home audio solutions that don't involve cluttering up your house with a bunch of speakers. Home theater and home audio professionals can work within your budget to create an arrangement that is seamlessly integrated into your lifestyle and your decor – that means no cluttered cables or clunky speakers.

Before you commit to a home theater or audio installation, there are a few things you'll need to consider. First, how do you plan to use it? Are you creating the ideal home theater for movie watching? Do you want a gamer's paradise in the den? Do you want to integrate the system throughout your home so that you can hear – and even watch – movies when moving from room to room? Where do you want your home theater to be set up? What architectural obstacles may complicate the installation process? Do you want to mount your TV on a wall as part of your home theater setup?

It's also important to consider your budget. While an elaborate home theater installation comes with a price tag, think about how much time you'll spend watching movies and TV shows at home rather than going out to the movies. With the national average of movie ticket prices around ten dollars per person and many concessions also being expensive, it may be worth the upfront cost so that you spend less money going out to movies every weekend.

Home theater construction and audio capabilities have come a long way. You can create an immersive audio environment for video games, arrange a surround sound system that will integrate seamlessly into your living room, or choose a whole-home audio setup that is integrated throughout your house so that you can still enjoy your movie when you get up and go to the kitchen for a snack. If you're already following the national trend of watching more movies at home, making some upgrades to your setup could help you further enhance your audio, visuals, and overall movie-watching experience.

Is seems like the more connected we get the more privacy we lose. In a report and investigation from “Consumers Report” they found that some smart TV’s can track what you watch. The newer Smart TV from LG, Samsung, Sony, Vizio and others might be doing just that. It seems like they were trying to compete with Nielson in an attempt to do a better job at ratings. Most of us watch Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, RoKu and others. All of these need a Wi-Fi connection to operate.

So just how do they do it? They all have what is called Automatic Content Recognition (AGR) which monitors what you watch. And of course, you must be connected to the internet via hard wire or Wi-Fi. The AGR is turned on by default.

The next thing you should ask, can my TV be hacked? Can someone hack into my smart TV and take control of it or do something else? The answer to both is yes. How difficult this is depends on the TV manufacturer or the maker of the Ruku, Hulu or other hardware devices connected to your TV. They should have some type of security protection.

Can any of this be stopped? There are two basic ways, first is to unplug or disconnect the internet from your smart TV, this isn’t always practical. The second will take a little work and digging into the menu options of your TV. Most of the TV manufacturers will have a way to shut off the Automatic Content Recognition, this will vary depending on the TV. You should be able to find this in your TV user’s manual or on the manufacturers web site. The setting will usually be found in the System or Support setting in your setup menu.

It seems that we are getting more “connected” every day with this connection comes many opportunities for you to lose more of your privacy. One of the best ways to stop or limit spying is to make sure that your Wi-Fi router is updated and that you have it set to the highest security with a very strong password. As you add additional connected items to your home make sure that you understand what information they collect from you and how they will use it.

All security for your home, car, internet, etc. starts with you. Do your research and make the necessary changes to protect your privacy.

Remember when computers and language learning meant repeating phrases? No longer, now you can practice reading, listening, speaking and writing all online for free.

Reading is one of the best ways to build your vocabulary, and it’s also likely the first skill in which you’ll be proficient in a foreign language. The best part, with the help of a browser plugin, you can read anything that interests you online and lookup any new words with a single click. These words will also be saved to a list so you can check yourself later. I recommend the WordReference Chrome extension plugin since it gives you dictionary definitions instead of single translation via Google. This is important since many words have more than one meaning.

Listening is the second easiest skill. It’s passive, and you’ll still be able to piece together meaning with even a basic vocabulary. Listening is a little harder, though. People use more idioms and less grammatically correct speech, you may not be accustomed to all of the sounds yet, and native speakers may speak too fast. That’s what makes TV perfect. Good thing TV is now online and international. Odds are good you can find you favorite show on YouTube or Netflix in your target language. With Netflix, you can even set the subtitles and audio for each of their shows.

Producing language, either via speaking or writing is the hardest. You need feedback from someone who knows the language in order to improve. The great part about learning a language as opposed to any other subject, there are probably millions of experts who speak that language perfectly. You just need one of them to help you out. So make a deal, have a language exchange with someone who is also learning your native language. You can help each other by communicating via Skype with each giving the other a turn practicing speaking. You can also post short essays and ask native speakers to correct them. Just be sure to return the favor by correcting other people who have posted their writing in your native language.

Once you’ve started practicing, you may decide you need the structure of a course or a textbook. Don’t worry, these can be free and online, too. A “MOOC” is an open course that is free as long as you don’t credit. You can find tons of language courses in EdX or Coursera. There aren’t as many free textbooks, but there are still quite few. Start with COERLL or Minnesota’s Open Textbook library. If you don’t find one, try just Googling Open Textbook and your language.

Caleb hangs his back-pack up everyday when he comes home from middle school. He kicks off his shoes, uses the bathroom, maybe fixes himself something to eat. The remote control gets grabbed, but mainstream TV is not what comes on the screen. Through the Sony Google Net Box, Caleb dials up a list of YouTube videos. He is absorbed as he watches one video after another and then another and another. By time his parents tell him to shut it off and get to his homework, not one single network program has been viewed. The sixth grader can’t tell you what’s on Nickelodeon. Cartoon Network has no influence. YouTube’s immense collection of videos about video games and random funny stuff are his poison.

Caleb’s parents are beginning to wonder about the benefits of keeping cable. Besides the diminishing cable TV interest of their son, the cable company recently decided to take away a few more channels and make them exclusive on the premium package. This came only too soon after another hike in their monthly rate. The combination of cable, Netflix and occasional Red Box now has the parents paying more on home entertainment than ever before. If the family can become more dependent on their Sony Box, then all they’ll have to pay for is the internet service (and possibly Netflix.) Ether way, the impact of YouTube and other video hosting platforms will probably serve as the tipping point in their decision.

Recent advantages in technology have added fuel to this video watching revolution. New video hosting platform websites have been popping up all over. HTML 5 and its built-in video player make it easy for anyone with server space to show off videos. Digital media distributors can provide and package the means for anyone to create their own video hosting platform website. Sites that used to just let you showcase photos are now bursting with video.

Because of all of this, marketing through digital channels now takes on a whole new look. Hundreds of thousands of businesses and other organizations now use video to increase results; and they do it by providing their content to video hosting platform sites like YouTube, Daily Motion, Metacafe and Vimeo. In turn, they share the content through the platform to other sites, apps and blogs, giving the good content out there legendary status. Internet celebrities are discovered overnight. Going viral is now a worthy quest.

The challenge for marketers is how to stand-out when sharing content. Successful ways have included the ever-present list making and interactive ranking. Through the convenient application of embed-able mark-up offered at these hosting platforms, website owners all around the WWW are listing and ranking their top video picks. Even the larger media outlets have joined in the game (see Fox News, Billboard, and USA Today.) Some of the sites doing a consistently good job at listing the best online videos are: mashable.com, Wikipedia and Huffington Post (now operating their own platform – aol.com.) For those not entertained by a mere list, there are ranking/rating sites that get viewers involved. In addition to the video platform hosts offering their own ways for visitors to interact, some of the more relevant high brow social media sites like Reddit, StumbleUpon and Digg use the power of collective judgment to filter up the best quality viral video. Other fun video watching sites like Funny or Die and Blip tv let their audiences select winners and losers of popular online videos.

The landscape of entertainment is changing. Soon the myopic conduits of television content will be replaced with the fluid and dynamic content channels that stem from the World Wide Web. With the influx of new devices and brilliantly easy HTML coding, the ability to provide better-than-ever variety and quality will become the standard norm.