Monday, March 2, 2026
How to Watch Free Live Television on Your Phone or Tablet
J.D. Biersdorfer spelled it all out in detail in an excellent piece that appeared in the New York Times on February 23, 2026; it follows.
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Whether by App or Old-School Antennas, Budget-Friendly Options Abound
There’s no shortage of options for watching online videos, thanks to the many streaming services available. But what if you’re looking for on-the-go live television for your phone or tablet?
If you already have a few subscriptions to platforms and shows and your budget is maxed out, you don’t need to pay for another service to watch real-time news and other programming. (You will, however, probably need to wait through commercial breaks and some targeted advertising based on your viewing habits.)
Here’s an overview of what’s out there.
If You've Switched From Cable ...
First of all, if you already subscribe to a multichannel cable-alternative service to watch on your TV set — think YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, Philo, Sling, DISH or the Fubo Sports Network — you should also be able to watch on your phone or tablet. Download the company's app, and log in with your username and password. When you're not hooked up to Wi-Fi, you can casually stream over a cellular connection if you have enough data on your plan.
Amazon Prime Video has a Live TV tab with hundreds of channels, including news programs from local television stations around the country. Some content was consolidated from Amazon's former FreeVee app, which was phased out, but that content is still free on Amazon's site, even for nonsubscribers.
If 'Free' Is the Right Price ...
Beyond Amazon’s free content, there is no shortage of apps for “free ad-supported streaming television,” a category whose name is often shortened to FAST.
The programming contains commercials that you can’t skip. However, the content (typically a mix of older movies, classic TV shows and live programming) usually doesn’t require a credit card to view. With some services, you don’t even need to create an account to start watching — just download the app and go.
Plex, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel (which does not require Roku hardware), Tubi, and Xumo Play are among the bigger FAST services offering live news and selected sports content, alongside movies and shows. Samsung TV Plus is a free service for Samsung devices, and LocalNow focuses on regional weather and headlines.
The programs vary, and some channels are available on several platforms. But since you’re not committing to a paid subscription, you can sample services to find the one (or ones) you like best.
If you’re looking for family programming, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus and Tubi are among the services with sections dedicated to children’s content. The PBS Kids Video and Sensical apps also offer free shows for children.
Some subscription services also have free live TV channels. These include Sling’s Freestream and Philo’s free section, which both offer BBC News. And if you’re looking primarily for headlines, most of the major U.S. national TV networks and many local station affiliates have their own streaming news apps.
If You Use an Antenna ...
Long before cable and internet providers began delivering television, people could freely pull broadcast signals out of the airwaves using an antenna. If you’re still an antenna user, you can stream live TV to your devices over an internet connection with tools like Channels ($80 a year) or Tablo ($100 and up).
But what if you have no Wi-Fi or cellular connection — or even lack electrical power after a storm or other incident? If you can keep your device charged (a solar panel or hand-cranked battery comes in handy), a tiny TV tuner connected to your device may still be able to grab nearby broadcast signals so you can stay up-to-date.
A few inexpensive USB-based TV tuners are available for certain Android phones and tablets, but are not supported on Apple devices. These products include the MyGica A.T.S.C. digital mobile TV tuner ($33 on Amazon) and the $70 GTMedia HDTV Mate A.T.S.C. 3.0 tuner stick. (A.T.S.C. stands for Advanced Television Systems Committee, the organization that develops standards for the U.S. digital broadcast technology.)
When shopping for tuners, read the manufacturer specifications and user reviews carefully. Some products may not work with Samsung gear or are not compatible in North America.
The MyGica TV tuner kit comes with two small antennas for signal reception. It requires the free PadTV HD app, available in the Google Play Store, as well as on the manufacturer’s site, and has mixed reviews. In tests on a Google Pixel 10 phone, the MyGica scanned and displayed several broadcast channels in the middle of Manhattan, including WNBC and WCBS, although stations with weaker signals were choppy or froze.
Using an antenna or an ad-supported service to watch TV may seem like a 20th-century throwback, but you’ll have plenty to view without breaking the bank.
My HVAC Guy's Favorite Thing: Rolling Chair with Padded Seat
I bought one of these many years ago because my basement floor is concrete and I sometimes I find myself going back and forth between my workbench and whatever it is I'm doing.
Whizzing around on this wheeled seat adds pizzazz.
Turns out the HVAC guy who comes by every six months to check and adjust my heat pump and oil furnace loves it because otherwise he has to kneel or sit on the floor to do stuff.
Nice features besides the wheels:
• 360° swivel seat
• Padded backrest
• Height adjustable
• Holds up to 300 lbs
• Tray for tools and parts
Preparing this post I checked around and found prices up over $300: don't go there.
$81.99 (tools in tray not included).
Your back will thank me.
Sunday, March 1, 2026
One thing I'll do differently the next time around: CUT MY OWN HAIR!
The other day I was doing something close to nothing (but different than the day before) when I got to thinking about how quick and easy — and free! — it is these days to manage my hair.
About ten years ago I bought a fancy professional-grade hair cutting scissors that, believe it or not, I have never once used for anything other than cutting my hair.
As time has passed it has become more and more obvious that I almost didn't wake up from the erroneous belief that hair should be cut by a professional.
I did the math and it turns out I've probably spent around $10,000-$20,000 since I left for college and started paying for my own haircuts.
It could be more.
That's not even taking into account all the time I've wasted over the decades, thousands of hours travelling to and from barber shops and hair salons, arriving early, then vegetating while I wait for the barbers/stylists who are always running behind.
Not to mention making small talk when I'd rather not, and listening to that around me.
And paying for parking.
But the cherry on the sundae is that never have I been happy with my professional haircut, not when I first look in the mirror at the shop and not the next morning and thereafter at home.
What was I thinking????
I love cutting my own hair: it's super-fast and fun when I'm done and look in the mirror it looks just the way I want it to.
Wait a sec — what's that song I'm hearing?
What are the best quick microwave meals comparable to Cup Noodles?
I asked Perplexity Pro, my new best friend (well worth the $20/month subscription fee) the question up top; above, its responses.
Ummm[mami].
Pi Dish
Perfect for your quantitative friend.
Or if your kid is on the cusp in math class, you could do worse for her/him than to give this cool dish to their math teacher come holiday time.
From websites:
- Mathematically–inclined chefs will adore this baking pan with the first few dozen digits of pi trimming the rim.
Glazed stoneware; microwave safe; hand wash.
10-3/8"Ø x 1-3/8"H.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Junk Food Storage Container Throwdown: Rubbermaid Brilliance v OXO POP
Above, I put these puppies through their functional paces.
The clear... winner to me is the OXO, because it requires much less effort to close and open and it's quiet: the Rubbermaid containers require two hands to break the seal, which itself requires more effort. Also, the Rubbermaid closure produces two loud clicks, as does its opening.
Three OXO containers set me back $30.99.
Four Rubbermaid Brilliance containers cost $36.21.
How far back in time can you understand English? — Colin Gorrie
He arrives, he checks in. He walks to the cute B&B he'd picked out online. And he writes it all up like any good travel blogger would: in that breezy LiveJournal style from 25 years ago, perhaps, in his case, trying a little too hard.
But as his post goes on, his language gets older. A hundred years older with each jump. The spelling changes. The grammar changes. Words you know are replaced by unfamiliar words, and his attitude gets older too, as the blogger’s voice is replaced by that of a Georgian diarist, an Elizabethan pamphleteer, a medieval chronicler.
By the middle of his post, he’s writing in what might as well be a foreign language.
But it’s not a foreign language. It’s all English.
None of the story is real: not the blogger, not the town. But the language is real, or at least realistic. I constructed the passages myself, working from what we know about how English was written in each period.
It's a thousand years of the English language, compressed into a single blog post.
Read it and notice where you start to struggle. Notice where you give up entirely. Then meet me on the other side and I’ll tell you what happened to the language (and the blogger).
Ready? Set? GO!
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Simon Roper's annual pronunciation videos were part of the inspiration for this piece. His most recent one (top) is extraordinary. What Simon does for the spoken language, I've tried to do here for the written, albeit running in the opposite direction.
'Industry' Season 4: Better than ever
I love this series and have been patiently waiting until all eight episodes will have been released (Episode 8 drops here in the U.S. tomorrow, March 1) so I could enjoy them just the way I like: bingeing* two/night on four successive nights.
This enables me to keep the narrative fresh in my mind, impossible for me if I watch one hour-long episode weekly for eight weeks.
The only thing lacking this time around is the fantastic soundtrack that accompanied Series 1, but no worries with YouTube making up the deficit all day long while I do other stuff.
*Both bingeing and binging are acceptable
Friday, February 27, 2026
Greek Mythology Family Tree
This video provides a comprehensive overview of all the important Greek and Roman gods, goddesses, nymphs, heroes, monsters, demigods, and other assorted spiritual beings; who begat who; and what all their domains were.
[via Open Culture]
bookofjoe's [new]* Favorite Pen
It's the Uni-Ball Signo RT1 0.28mm Retractable Gel Ink Pen with Rubber Grip and Ultra Micro Point.
Super-smooth, it produces a super fine line with almost no effort.
So easy, even my calico cat Vanta can use it (top).
Black: 5 for $9.99.
Red: 10 for $19.99.
Cheap at twice the price.
Available colors:
*I discover a new favorite pen every few years and have since I was in college, which was where and when I developed my mild pen fetish.
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Glass Headstones — 'Ars longa, vita brevis'
Greg Lundgren and his partner, Jim Nelsen, were stained glass artists in Seattle.
In the spring of 2002 they started making glass headstones.
Their grave markers are designed to last more than 500 years.
As if you'll care.
OK, OK, I know — don't be a hater.
Where was I?
Oh, yeah, Lundgren Monuments.
From the website:
- Every human has a unique fingerprint, an original voice, and a personality entirely their own.
It seems so strange that the memorials crafted to honor these unique individuals are so uniform and pay little homage to the person remembered.
With so many cultures and histories, individual quests, and life pursuits, shouldn't we have a diversity of options to remember our beloved?
Lundgren Monuments creates handmade translucent cast glass memorials as an alternative to the traditional granite and bronze headstones.
Luminescent, organic, rugged, and incredibly beautiful, cast glass monuments actually glow with life and spirit, standing out as a beacon amongst a field of dull stones.
There is nothing like them in the world.
Isn't that the way you want to be remembered?
FunFact: "Ars longa, vita brevis" is a Latin translation of an aphorism coming originally from Greek, the first two lines of the Aphorisms by Hippocrates.
You could look it up.
Bikepacking 1,400km Through the Arctic Night
Joffrey Maluski's account of his epic 25-day journey last year appeared on sidetracked.com.
YouTube description:
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The Kaamos Road, 25 days and 1,500 km cycling in Lapland, at the heart of the polar night.
A winter bikepacking expedition across 3 countries in temperatures below -30°C.
After cycling across the Icelandic Highlands during the winter of 2023, the urge to explore the far North again became irresistible.
This time, the goal was clear: to experience and document the polar night, the Arctic winter where the sun never rises.
One year later, I set off on a cycling expedition through Lapland, spanning three countries: Norway, Finland, and Sweden.
An eastward journey, fully self-supported, deep into the polar night, where the sun never crosses the horizon and temperatures drop below -30°C.
Over 25 days and 1,500 km, I traveled across frozen landscapes, guided only by the subtle twilight.
A winter bikepacking adventure marked by long silent nights, solitude, extreme cold... but also by a rare, raw, and calming beauty.
With this film, "The Kaamos Road," I wanted to capture the delicate balance between effort and awe, exhaustion and serenity.
An ode to the slow rhythm of the polar night, and to the raw power of the Arctic.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
bookofjoe's Favorite Thing: Zeiss Mobile Screen Wipes
One of my longest standing fetishes is clean screens on my electronic devices.
Not only clean, but also undamaged: I traded in a four-year-old iPhone at an Apple Store which the tech remarked was the least flawed screen that old he'd ever seen.
To my naked eye there wasn't a single scratch or blemish.
Here's the best part: I've never used a screen protector (and I never will) — no way can the images be as good as on the original screen without intervening layers.
When I bought a Vision Pro two years ago I very carefully read the detailed instructions on how to clean the 6k (!) lenses and my Zeiss prescription inserts.
Long story short: use Zeiss Lens Wipes.
Which is what I've always done.
I figures what was good enough for my Vision Pro lenses for sure was OK for my phone and iPads — but it turns out I was wrong.
Apple recommends only occasional use of Zeiss Lens Wipes on iPhones and iPads (which has been my practice, but only by happenstance) because regular repeated use will cause the oleophobic factory coating to degrade over time.
Instead, it recommends Zeiss Mobile Screen Wipes (pictured up top).
On the back of the box it says "Suitable for use on all mobile electronic device screens (smartphones, tablets, and laptops)."
Today was the first I knew these even existed.
Better late than never.
$14.40 for a box of 120.
Ordered.
Micropayments
Micropayments — instantly with one click paying, say, 1 cent to the author/creator of something you happen on online with ALL of that 1 cent going directly into their bank account — have been the subject of endless discussion ever since the internet became a thing.
And yet we're still not even close.
Patreon/Buy Me a Coffee/Ko-fi/Gumroad/Ghost/Substack etc. all aim to let you pay creators but none are even close to the frictionless micropayments envisioned since the last century.
I don't have much hope that they'll happen in my lifetime.
Richard Flanagan: Life After Death
More about Flanagan, a terrific Australian author whose books I first encountered last month, here.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
BeyondTheMedspeak: Can a person's eye color change as they age?
I know it can because mine has.
When I was a boy and in my teens my eyes were brown.
Period.
Now they are mostly green.
I noticed the change when I was in medical school and wondered how such a thing could happen.
Over the years I've asked many ophthalmologists about it and they've all said I must be remembering incorrectly because eye color doesn't change over time.
But guess what?
They were wrong and I am not crazy.
Anahad O'Connor, in his "Really?" column New York Times, addressed the question and reported that "in a small percentage of adults, eye color can naturally become either noticeably darker or lighter with age."
Here's his piece.
- The Claim: Eye Color Can Change as We Age
THE FACTS It can bend light, bring the world into focus, and next to the human brain may be our most complicated organ.
But for many people the most intriguing feature of the human eye is simply its color.
Can it really change for no apparent reason?
In most people, the answer is no.
Eye color fully matures in infancy and remains the same for life.
But in a small percentage of adults, eye color can naturally become either noticeably darker or lighter with age.
What determines eye color is the pigment melanin.
Eyes that have a lot of it in the connective tissue at the front of the iris, called the stroma, are darker, while those that have less tend to be lighter.
The levels of melanin generally remain the same throughout life, but a few things can change them permanently.
The first is a handful of ocular diseases like pigmentary glaucoma.
Another is a condition called heterochromia, or multicolored eyes, which affects about 1 percent of the population and is often caused by traumatic injuries. An example of this can be seen in the rock star David Bowie, who attributes his contrasting eye colors, hazel and light blue, to a blow to the face as a child.
The third cause appears to be genetics. A study in 1997, for example, looked at thousands of twins and found that 10 percent to 15 percent of the subjects had gradual changes in eye color throughout adolescence and adulthood, which occurred at nearly identical rates in identical twins.
THE BOTTOM LINE Eyes can change color in some people because of genetics or injury.
Note: the photo up top illustrates heterochromia, in which each eye has a different color.
Irrational Enthusiasm is the Seed of All Great Things
Sure, irrational exuberance is considered a bad thing when it comes to the stock market and investing but that doesn't mean irrationality itself isn't essential to good and great new things.
Because many really interesting things are the result of doing something dumb or even irrational.
Like that guy who decided to kill himself by going over Niagara Falls — without a barrel, instead just floating on his back admiring the view — and came to his senses unharmed, in the churning waters at the base.
He didn't find that his life had changed all that much a year later, when he wrote an article about it that I read in the Washington Post.
But that's not the point.
And he certainly wasn't enthusiastic when he decided to call it a day by taking what he thought would be his ultimate ride.
And he was quite rational, if you think about it: anyone thinking clearly would predict that you would not survive a trip over Niagara Falls wearing no protection but your street clothes.
So.
Most of my best posts over the decades — at least, those I like the best — are a result of a bit too much coffee or some sort of serotonin overload — but so what?
I'm all for out–of–control, irrational, nonsensical behavior.
In fact, it's a requirement for working here.
One of my favorite essays is entitled, "Enthusiasm as a Form of Love."
It's by E.M. Cioran.
My second–favorite Cioran essay is "Degradation Through Work."
First-Ever YouTube Video Enters Collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, helping to preserve and document the history and culture of the internet, has just acquired a reconstruction of an early YouTube watch page, featuring the first-ever upload, the 19-second-long "Me at the zoo."
The exhibit opened last week, and captures YouTube as it appeared on December 8, 2006 (top). Developed by the museum alongside YouTube's UX team and interaction design studio, the exhibit showcases the early designs of elements that continue to shape the internet today, like badges, rating buttons, and sharing and recommendation features.
The 19-second clip of YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim (below),
filmed on a low-res camera in 2005, is widely considered a foundational moment in the use of user-generated content.
The exhibit is in the Design 1900-Now Gallery at the V&A South Kensington.
Monday, February 23, 2026
Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese v Kraft Mac & Cheese Original: Microwave Throwdown
What with my jones for food that's easy and fast and hot, the apotheosis of which is Nissin Cup Noodles — now even better with a new cardboard cup that doesn't require you to unwrap the cellophane enclosing the longtime flagship styrofoam iteration — it seemed a no-brainer... heh... to ask Perplexity Pro for some suggestions for other highly regarded microwave dishes.
It offered up, among other, venerable Kraft Mac & Cheese.
I really like the original in the blue box but the effort and time and cleanup involved are just not worth it to me.
So I figured there was hope for the microwave version, for which I paid $4.92 for four.
WRONG.
It looks terrible when you first peel off the top and see a few noodles sitting in some white powder (starch) at the cup's bottom.
You remove the cheese powder packet, then add water to a nearly invisible fill line about a third of the way up from the bottom.
Then you stir, then nuke it for 3.5 minutes.
But wait — something really bad happened 2 out of 4 times: the cup leaked in the microwave, making a smelly sticky mess of the glass platter and inside the microwave, requiring not only tossing what was left in the trash but also a prolonged cleanup.
FAIL!
The two that didn't leak were terrible after mixing in the cheese powder as directed.
But wait — there's more!
Turns out there's a Deluxe version (top) that features bigger elbow macaroni and cheese sauce sort of like Velveeta as opposed to that orange powder.
Preparation is identical to the original.
4 out of 4 of Deluxe cups turned out as specified, and they were pretty good.
Astoundingly, the Deluxe version costs the same as the original: Four for $4.92.
Go figure.
The Lost 1984 Video: young Steve Jobs introduces the Macintosh
YouTube description: "The Original 1984 Macintosh Introduction: the magic moment when Steve Jobs unveiled the Macintosh after releasing it from its bag. We found these lost historical videos in 2004 and restored and published them to the world on January 24, 2005, when the Mac became 21 years old."
12,490,00 views since this was uploaded to YouTube on January 24, 2009.
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Let's talk about tripping over a cord
Ever trip over a cable or cord that was lying on the floor in an unexpected place?
Ever pull some electrical appliance down off a counter or desk by tripping over its cord?
Thought so.
For years I used tape to secure cords to the floor until one day it occurred to me to look into those rubber or plastic cord protectors you see in offices, neatly concealing and protecting the wires, cords and cables within and preventing accidents like the ones you've had.
I thought it might be nice to have that same cord–concealing capability — plus I like the alliteration.
Long story short: I woke up my Crack Research Team©®™ and told them to get on with it.
There's a slit in the bottom which opens for cord insertion.
They come in a zillion sizes and colors.
Double-sided tape on the bottom holds them in place.
Nifty and useful, I say.
Nice gift for friends and peeps who think they have everything.
A number of colors and lengths to choose from here.
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