One teacher here is doing a graduate program online that keeps him rather busy. I have two outlets (other than drinking beer). I have a Slingbox for watching TV and I'm studying Spanish using Rosetta Stone.
A Slingbox is a device that broadcasts TV over the internet. There are many websites where you can watch old TV shows. The advantage of a Slingbox is that you can use the DVR back home to record specific programs. The website is www.slingbox.com. My friend is hosting my Slingbox in Washington, DC which is why you see local DC weather in the pictures below. Basically, you buy a Slingbox for $300 and then have someone back home get an extra cable box with a DVR. They plug the Slingbox into the cable box and then connect it to their internet router. You download Slingbox viewing software and off you go. Obviously streaming/downloading from the internet will be free (or at least less expensive). I think a Slingbox-style solution makes the most sense if you want to record and watch sporting events.
DirecTV has some kind of option for overseas but since it's 100% online I'm guessing you can't record. There's also a rival to the Slingbox called Hava (www.myhava.com). I got a Slingbox because Hava doesn't work with Macs. Slingbox has very annoying customer service, so I can't give them strong recommendation, but I can say that having this device has been a huge benefit for me. It will be especially useful during college football season.
Here's how the Slingbox looks on your laptop. You click on the remote as if you were watching TV back home. There's a full screen view that hides the remote, but I wanted to show what it looks like.
I bought all five levels of Spanish. I'm currently on level 3. I didn't start until the end of March but I really wish I brought it over with me so that I could have studied during the winter break.
No comments:
Post a Comment