text:
The business world has the saying that you have to spend money to make money. Some rappers employ this basic rule of investment quite effectively. The idea is that you model your image according to the income bracket that you aim for. If you want people to literally buy into the lifestyle you aspire for, you have to act the part. If you are not yet a superstar but would like to become one, act like one. Turn your songs and your videos into self-fulfilling prophecies. You have to sound like you're worth your impending fortune and fame. Milk Dee did it back in the '80s when he blurted out, "I get money, money I got," and it's been proven to work many times ever since. In fact, the phrase holds such a universal meaning that it's been sampled by artists as different as Lil' Flip, Apathy, The BUMS, and 50 Cent. In order to become a rap star you have to be perceived as one. This may sound fatalistic to someone who sees this movement just as much as a culture as as a business, but image has always been important in hip- hop. Selling yourself isn't the same as selling out.
As a rapper you have various options to display wealth. The most important and quite frankly least expensive way is to simply rhyme about it. If you don't fully trust the suggestive power of your words, it can be helpful to invest in some props. If your record label pays for it, rent that luxury car you want to drive in your video or pose in front of on your album cover. If that's not in your budget, hire skilled graphic designers and video artists to find ways to make you come across wealthy. However, while it is wise to think economical, the fact remains that you have to spend money to make money. Don't be too cheap, especially when it comes to the beats. Nobody will take your flossing serious over cheapskate production. Be a true entrepreneur and split your costs wisely between production and promotion.
So where's the catch? Rap isn't a a foolproof get-rich-quick scheme. Advances have to be recouped. Lawyers have to be paid. Tours have to be financed. That's all understood. The real catch if you want to build a rap career on the You have to spend money to make money motto is that people might question your initial star status. In most cases, only rhyming about it will not cut it. They will want to know if you're really living that large. If everything goes as planned, you go from being a nobody who talks a good game to having a hit album in a matter of months, and you will be forgiven because even though you weren't really a rap star before, you are one now. If you're lucky, you're some superstar's protégé, which makes you a star by affiliation with ample time to prove yourself as a solo artist. But even so, what if your personal success as a rapper is only so-so?
A widely accepted loophole out of this dilemma is to say that you've made your money by some other means before you decided to try your hands at a rap career. The most common claim is that you've hustled, then smartened up and applied your hustling skills to the world of entertainment. The hustler argument has the added benefit of being able to say that you're still making rap money, even when your success is not registered by SoundScan. Like a true hustler, you're beating the system at its own game.
With this I give you rapper Tone Tone, who's quite a mystery in financial regards. Antonio Henderson released his debut "Skoolz in Session" in 2004, was signed to Jazze Pha's Sho'nuff Records for two years, a period during which he dropped a couple of mixtapes, and has now finished his independent sophomore effort "D-Boy Fresh." While most rap listeners are liable to interpret the term 'd-boy' as 'dope boy' (i.e. drug dealer), the 'D' in "D-Boy Fresh" actually stands for Detroit. Which is all the more surprising as Tone Tone makes rap with a distinct southern leaning. These confusions suggest a complicated artist, and in his very own way he is.
Scanning "D-Boy Fresh" for actual amounts, the sum of a million seems just about right for Tone Tone. He mentions a "2 million dollar record deal" and having "bought a million dollar studio" installed in his basement. Just as often, however, the million is not a real figure but a symbol for the league Tone aims to play in. He "made it out the hood with a million dollar dream," and when he walks through the door he's looking like he's "worth a million." In Tone Tone's rags to riches story the riches definitely play the more prominent part. "I'm gettin' money, so I let it talk for me," he reasons. Case in point: "I done lived the glamor life with money, clothes and cars / and popped bottle after bottle with the baddest broads / I done bought the mall out and drove off the lot / in a candy apple Charger, then rode to the block." That, my friends, is the sound of money talking.
To his credit, the rags do have a minor part in his success story. On "Whatcha Know Bout Me," the opening behind-the-scenes look, he confesses:
"I done been through a lot, but nobody could tell
I'm gonna go to heaven now cause I done been through hell
I done hung on the block and seen my boys get shot
I done seen them dope boys push a brand new drop
I done seen my older cousin go to jail for murder
15 to life, the person snitched was right in the circle
I done slept on the flo', we only had three beds
12 people in the house, back then was hard
Now I done get my money up, now I can pop my collar
So many rooms at the crib, now I can start a Ramada
I used to window-shop at the mall and beg my mama
See now I shop, pop tags and give cash to my mama
This ain't happened overnight, so why y'all mad at me?
And I ain't do it by myself, pimp, I had the D"
There it is again, the D. Standing for Detroit, not for dope. At least that would be my educated guess. "I don't sell no drugs" he declares in "Die Anyday." Is that 'I never sold drugs' or 'I don't sell drugs anymore'? I'm asking because Tone Tone is unusually shy about fully disclosing his sources of income. On "Yeah Right" he says, "I was in the hood gettin' rich before the deal;" on "Mr. Clean," "They say I'm really rich because I made a quarter mill / and I did all that, pimpin', way before the deal." How do you get rich in the hood? If you let rap tell it, there's only one way to get RICH IN the hood, and that's by selling drugs. As he says on "Deuces Up," "Where I come from they all keep that white girl." Logically, that would include him too. To be perfectly clear, this album doesn't detail a single drug deal. What's cooking on "D-Boy Fresh"? It almost certainly ain't crack. Then again, what does he refer to when he relates on "Stackman," "Been trappin' in the A and I'm back to the D"? What exactly went down when he recounts on "Check Me Out," "Couple dollars in my lap / Had to hit the hood, get the money, so I trap / Hit the mall, spent at least ten stacks / It's nothin', I hit the hood, make the ten back"? When he asserts on "Stuntin' Wit My Shades On," "Tone be fresher than your average dope dealer," doesn't that logically suggest that he is a dope dealer, just not your average?
I suspect that Tone Tone leaves these things purposely open. He wants to be "fresher than your average dope dealer" as they currently populate rap music, but he doesn't want to knock the hustle per se. Hence the double entendre of his album title. Hence the rhyme "Rubberband banks got me lookin' like a trapper / stuntin' in my shades got me lookin' like a rapper." Ultimately, he's not just LOOKING like a rapper, he's proud to BE one. "Whatcha Know Bout Me" sees him mentioning sold out shows, and on "I Don't Think They Like" he calculates: "Five for a show, just imagine how the stacks get / Extra five for a sixteen without a ad-lib / Fitted cap, lean pimpin' like a six-fo' / Promoters payin' me for my shows and I ain't got a video." And all financial benefits aside, "Homie, that's a good feelin' when they rappin' your words / Another good feelin': I can grab my boys and splurge." Truer words have never been spoken. At least not on this record.
If the glamorous life of a rap star is all about keeping up appearances, Tone Tone keeps his up marvelously. He's left the paper chase behind him and spends money like water. In fact, he's taken a particular liking to the phrase 'make it rain.' On "Candy Roll" he makes it "rain inside the club," and then on "Stackman" he even takes it "out the club" to "make it rain outside." Weatherman would be a more appropriate nickname. Needless to say, there's quite a few strip club joints here. "In Da Strip Club," the album's official "strip club anthem" ends up a piece of faux crunk, but several other tracks get the job done - with more or less interchangeable lyrics of course. On "Check Me Out" Tone even offers up the ultimate proof that he's for real: "Now everybody wanna make it rain in they rap song / but when they in a strip club, money they ain't got none." I admit I'm not too familiar with strip club house rules, but am I the only one who thinks it's kind of funny when the tippers are given more attention than the strippers? Aren't the women supposed to show off while the men sit back and enjoy? Being the man that I am, I wouldn't really care about another man's stacks as long as the stripper's stacked. But I digress.
Tone Tone is enamored with southern rap. He's likely to reference his generation's hit songs such as "Laffy Taffy," or "Party Like a Rockstar." With "I Don't Think They Like" he even puts an original spin on Dem Franchize Boyz' "White Tee" and "Oh I Think Dey Like Me." He makes the conscious decision not to curse, and while he says doing so guarantees play and performance of any of his songs anywhere, he keeps his content clean as well. On top of that he's soft-spoken and renounces the typical threats found on any given rap album. "D-Boy Fresh" is 75% stuntin'. The problem is that the stuntin' is incredibly basic. Cartier glasses, "alligatored up interior" and "diamonds against the wood" are nothing compared to the extravagance artists like the Big Tymers or Jay-Z have engaged in. That's what made listening to these rich bastards palatable. If stuntin' is your main theme, why not go all the way with it? But that requires lyrical creativity or talented ghost writers, and Tone Tone seems to be short on both.
So we get an album that is for a large part mindnumbingly simplistic, where a line like "We don't make it rain, man, my clique make it flood / See now we got the Red Cross comin' to the club" has to be considered a stroke of genius. And after all that he has the nerve to backtrack, saying "I ain't rich but I'm straight doin' what I want" on "Don't Think About It," the most money-oriented song on a money-oriented album.
If he ever comes close to realizing his dreams, Tone Tone will laugh all the way to the bank at these objections. There's no denying the hit potential of tracks like "Deuces Up," "Candy Roll," or "Stuntin' Wit My Shades On," even though vocally he's about as memorable as that Hot Boy you forgot about. Naturally, there's plenty of room for growth. A couple of years from now, he'll know how to work out the intended irony in "Yeah Right," he'll know how to explain what he means when he stresses, "Don't let the limelight fool ya / the average life cooler" ("Whatcha Know Bout Me"), and finally his record label will have learned to pay attention to spelling details (it's Yung Joc, not Young Joc, and Teairra Marí, not Teairra Marie). Already Tone shows signs of maturity. Both ladies cuts, "What You Need" and "Sidekick" are executed with competence. "Die Anyday" and the closing "Live and Let Go" show a level of reflexion you wouldn't have thought possible.
You get what you give. Musically, the album offers catchy production that backs up Tone's alleged baller status at least partially. He produces seven tracks himself in a manner that suggests that his real calling lies in production. If it weren't for the obstinate percussion, "Deuces Up" courtesy of Midwest Bang Productions would almost be of Mr. ColliPark quality. While "Mr. Clean" by Brave Soul is about ten times more interesting than its lyrical content. Lyrically, Tone Tone banks on getting noticed by talking about money. That may make him come across as shallow, but it has to be noted that listeners won't think of him as greedy but rather as generous. What's more, there seems to be an ulterior motive behind it all. As he says on the very first track, "Everybody love the ground you walkin' on when you shine / but ain't nobody 'round to help you when you broke on the grind." Considering this, who could blame him for trying to shine in his raps?
Music Vibes: 6.5 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 3.5 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 5 of 10
Originally posted: December 11, 2007
source: www.RapReviews.com


text:
New Build Yesterday: A209
Hi all,
I apologize for the late update on the new build for you all. Yesterday mid-day, we released A209, which contains the following updates:
-Line score related bug fixes
-Always on top mode update for PC version
-Archive video bug fixes (scrub issues on PC at end of game & displaying archive available too early)
-Postponed game updates
-Updates for MLB.com media services/login services
Thank you again for all of the time you're putting in. By the numbers, it appears that the app is extremely engaging for those that are using it. Please continue to either email in to the mosaic team or post issues here, and we'll be addressing them as they come up.
In addition, we're working on getting the support forum up to aggregate recommendations and solutions to issues so that you don't all have to go searching through the blog.
159 Comments
Since the update yesterday I have found the video stutters for 3-4 seconds about every 45-seconds. I closed all other programs to make sure my pc wasn't overloaded with stuff and the problem continued.
It got to the point where mosaic was unusable so I went to the web-player last night. Anyone else finding this? or have some possible fixes?
Why is it scrunched up? This program worked great when I signed up, what happened?
Justin: I spoke too soon yesterday after up-date A209 when I said it cleared up the streaming in the mid and high quality levels in mosaic 4 & 6 portals. I just tried to log on and got streaming errors except in the low quality level. Is this problem being addressed?
2 issues:
– the automatic update has never worked on my Mac box (although it does work on my XP machine); and,
– as much as I find that the video quality is now pretty darn good, I still have periodic streaming issues, either losing the stream or the audio becoming maddingly unsynched.
Anyway, I feel that the service has greatly improved and I hope that the progress continue.
Same **** as the last build. I have Vista and the new build only works in a mini-mode. When I expand it to full size, it stops working. I guess I'll have to download the whole thing again.
@ Jthompson
What do you mean Scrunched up? Do you have an ATI or TNT 32MB video card?
@ Rogerbangert
You most likely had one day with little network traffic and then another day with heavy traffic. The streams are being streamed at the same speed every day. There is no control on our end about how much bandwidth is shared on your network. This is why you will have some days better than others.
@ Bkligerman
I'd grab a new install for the Mosaic for your Mac. It has been updated in every release. If it's not updating I would suggest looking at applications installed/running that may be preventing it from accessing the internet.
@ bmfc1
Mini mode? That is fixed with a uninstall reinstall. I did not see this behavior when my Vista systems updated from 208 to 209. It only occurred on some systems from 206 to 208.
Mosaic: I've been taking the bandwidth test frequently and and always get a reading between 8000 kbps and 17000 kbps. Isn't this adequate enough to handle any network traffic?
All bandwidth tests are different and really do not provide a real good idea of network traffic from one sample.
Please check out http://www.dslreports.com/tools
They have speed tests for all over the united states, they also have tools to help you speed up your connection. And a lot of good information about the internet and different types of networks.
There is quite a difference between copying one file from server A to server B than a continuous stream of file A to server B at 700kpbs. The bandwidth test are just pushing one file as fast as it can, not trying to keep pushing the same file at a constant speed. So it's not really apples to apples.
I'd just like to say that I'm really enjoying the daily research-why-Mosaic-doesn't-work-on-my-Vista-machine-today game I get to play after every patch/update I do. I'm sure it has to be more fun than actually watching the games on Mosaic would be, but how would I know that when I spend the free time I have trying to get Mosaic to work and then don't have time to watch the games on the occasions I do get it working again.
This is getting really annoying. Do your developers not have Vista boxes to test these patches on, or are you just in such a hurry to get one fix out that you don't worry about the things you break each time?
Yes, I've tried uninstalling and re-installing, since that fixed it under Vista recently, but that's not going to help much when you don't update the build available for download from what I had previously.
This time I have been getting some .Net error message and then it crashes completely out, but I'm just getting tired of tracking the errors at this point to give you all the details.
Honestly, this looks like it will be a great product when it works right and all the features are there, but I really feel it is unfair to have to pay $20 a month for the privilege of being a beta-tester for a product.
Everyone has frustration with different problems with the mosaic feature, but the bottom line is you can always go to the single game at mlb.com and click on the 700k listed under the multimedis guide and enjoy your favorite team. The $20 a month is not preventing most of us from enjoying baseball. At some point, Justin and the other engineers will figure it out. Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy the games and hope all bugs are eventually worked out.
My current issue is that when I start up Mosaic it opens in a smaller window and appears to be working, but if you maximize the window the screen goes totally black. Suggestions?
And now when I close out and try to reopen Mosaic, it simply says that there is an Application Error and it won't open at all. I'm working on a Windows Vista system. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
So what about that marlins game form 4/10 that I was promised "coming soon"? Is that a lost cause or what?
Also I would tend to agree with rogerbanger that we can always watch the single games, but nonetheless the other poster has a point. We paid for Mosaic and we are now more than three weeks into the season and there are still constant problems. I hope these can be addressed soon. Thanks!
Okay, I did an uninstall/reinstall and things seem to be working now. Hopefully that will continue.
Honestly, you guys need to do much more work on the Mac version, and much less on the P.C. I have both, the P.C is much better than Mac (even tho the Mac is a better comp.) Just fix it.
Fellow Mosaic users: if you've been trying for weeks to get your mosaic to work as advertised and it still doesn't,face it, it's not going to. They have plenty of reasons to tell you why it won't work on your machine, the catch all being internet traffic. You can't fight internet traffic people. You either have too much of it or you don't.
For me, each new build produces no improvement — freezing and sync problems persist in single game mode, can't get any better than level 2 streaming on the 4/6 and even then the picture quality is no better than last year's. All specs are met here, but that doesn't matter. We're tired of this and they're tired of it too, you can tell in some of their posts.If it weren't for the 700 stream on the web, i'd have cancelled Mosaic. I still might actually. Just have to see if I can live with the 400 stream.
In the meantime, we fought the good fight, but it just isn't working. It's over. Let's surrender.
Right now as I sit here, the MLB Bandwidth test shows me at 4113 Kbps. I have a top of the line MacBook Pro with more than enough RAM 2GB and video 256MB.
I don't have ANY problems with the program. The only problem I have is with certain games that continually buffer and are unwatchable! I don't get it! At the same time one game may be perfectly fine, but switch to a different game and its horrible. I have to believe this is on YOUR end! Am I wrong?? Help me!
@ firstname.lastname@example.com
It was an oversight on my part with that Vista upgrade issue as it only occurred when you had a specific older version installed then upgraded via the update. The fix a simple reinstall resolves the issue.
Vista came out about a month before the Mosaic as an official release and had a lot of 'new ways' to do things. I believe we did really well in supporting Vista.
The Mac version is just as solid as the PC version. If you have specific area's that you feel are lacking please send me an email detailing them and I will look into it.
If you are having a problem on the mosaic with a specific stream, can you please try the same game via the Web stream. They should be the same, and if they are not let me know about it. In most cases the problem is on the user end, but we are not immune to error but can only help when given good information about the problem.
Still no sound, never had sound. Everything else on my computer has sound. Please fix this!
For example, right now I can watch Texas at Toronto, no problem. If I switch to Baltimore at Cleveland. Unwatchable freezing and buffering. Current bandwidth down to 1093 Kbps (lower than earlier but well within your reccomended specs)
I have tried to compare Web Streams to my Mosaic Streams, they are always the same. I am using LOWEST quality of video. By all rights (bandwidth, computer etc.) I should have flawless performance and be a wildly satisfied customer, but I'm not. I love the idea of this program, but it is not delivering.
Hey, I just read your post on bandwidth tests… I am assuming the guy was taking the MLB Bandwith test. NOWHERE on that bandwidth test page do I see anything saying "your mileage may vary" or links to Broadband Reports.com or the like. I am sure most people, like myself, took the MLB Bandwidth test to see if we could run Mosaic/MLB.tv. With a positive result we subsquently bought the package.
C'mon MLB, just give us fans the straight scoop. I'd like to get some answers to see if I want to continue this service. Believe me, I REALLY want to, but give me some assurance that I'm not wasting my money!!
Why, oh why, with all these new builds, must we STILL put up with Mosaic telling us it has been inactive, and asking if we would like to continue. Is there some valuable reason why this must be a feature? Many of us are quite capable of multi-tasking with Mosaic in the background.
I have an ibook G4. The video is still really choppy on single game streams. I almost always watch Red Sox games. I think it may be a server issue. The regular 700K stream from the website (not Mosaic) usually runs better. Unfortunately, is is not as flexible with screen sizing as Mosaic (without buying Quicktime Pro). I feel there should be a $99 Premium subscription for those of us who want 700K single streams, but aren't able to use Mosaic, and are stuck watching the 700K web feed. Or should both feeds run the same? Don't get me wrong, the regular 700K isn't flawless either. They both usually skip some every 4-5 seconds. Even Pac-man has a little speed jump every 4-5 seconds.
Oh my dear Mr. Phewall. You are obviously new here. You are barking at the moon, dear man. Yes, we all love the idea of Mosaic but as we have learned, an idea is one thing; reality is another.
You are right. They never said a thing about internet traffic and how it would kill off a lot of Mosaic's streams. On the other hand, if you are a yankee fan — as I am — it is actually a relief to watch their game in a blurry mess that is the 4/6 stream. So let me say this to the mosaic team. Thank you. My blood pressure could not have handled a clear picture tonight.
Yep, takemymoney… While it works fairly well for me, we were snookered initially in the numerous claims on Mosaic's [MLB.com's] original advertisements. They won't get my money next year.
Ah yes, their initial claims. Laughable, it's true. If they weren't laughable — and I put this sentence in for you mosaic workers who read all these posts, but only respond to those you fee like responding to — why would we be on build 9007, or whatever it is? But hey, we were younger in March, desperate for baseball, and much more impressionable.
Sing it Pete Townsend: "Won't Get Fooled Agaaaaaaaaaain!!!"
All together now people!
Thanks for at least being a sounding board so I don't feel like a completely insane voice in the wilderness. I am however a dyed in the wool Yankee hater! ha ha I usually watch the A's in single game but like to follow my fantasy players in various games in the AL. The A's games normally play fine, but anything in Cleveland, KC, Detroit all s_ck!
I want some answers from MLB on what the deal is… Is Mosaic some Web 2.0 app trying to be run on Web 1.0 infrastructure? Is the problem with MLB having inadequate hardware to serve their customers? Is the problem my local ISP? Is the problem some nebulous and generic "network traffic" in the vast reaches of the WWW? What gives??? I want some answers or at least some explanation!
I am here for all my disillusioned children, my dear Mr. Phewall. And I'm afraid you will never get any answers to your questions. They do not answer what they do not like. And, anyway, it's all your fault. Don't you know that?
By the way, I admire the A's fortitude. And I always thought Zito was overrated.
hey all you people complaining over and over and over and over again about how your system should be running it fine…
check your firewall maybe? i know that there were 1 or 2 people who were complaining since day 1 until a few builds ago when they realized it was a firewall problem.
oh and for the record, mosaic works wonders on my mac
Firewall! Pure genius!! Why didn't I think of that? Yes, all works perfectly now. I have seen the light. Except that it doesn't. But hey, thank the Lord for the wisdom of jyaltma.
Bandwidth speed:
Your speed test says I am capable of 4275.
6 screen mode plays at 1960; howver as soon as I switch to one game only mode it drops to 682. Why can't I watch single game mode at 1960?
This should produce a much better image.
Just wondering if and when we'll be able to choose audio feeds to each game? Also, you should really put the inning of each game up somewhere.
Have any of you checked your systems with any other live sports streams? I did, as Comcast here(Chicago) offers free NHL Hockey. I was watching that, and really saw the same issues I see with Mosaic. Minor stopping and occasional skipping. So I called my cable company and asked about it. They told me that at certain times, especially early evening, with the amount of PC's running in my house, there is no way to get a constant feed rate at all times.
Just wondering if anyone else checked their systems with other sports feed?
Also, I've been on vacation, and was not pleased to find out that in Iowa, where there are no pro BB teams they have 6 teams including my Cubs blacked out. You can't watch anyone there..LOL Thank goodness for audio..:)
hi, glad to have "always on top" function in the new release, but I can't find the button to turn it on.
How can I make MOSAIC "always on top"?
Why is there a small version of the commercial break in progress screen showing on the left of my game screen? Its obscuring a large part of the game screen, most annoying.
My Mosaic is back to not working again. I try to open it and I get a series of "unhandled exceptions" that prevent Mosaic from operating. Any suggestions?
I have to agree with Seekra@hotmail. This is a waste of time and money. Where is the refund line? I do not have time to continually troubleshoot errors. I want my money back please….
I hear many people complaining about Mosaic and asking for refunds, but I'm not quite sure that they understand that the extra money is mainly for the premium package which gives you better quality video at 700k as opposed to 400k. That's why I originally signed up for the premium package. The mosaic feature was a nice bonus and it would be great if it worked perfectly. For me, it's a case of the 2 second audio delay, which I can live with until it gets fixed. When the delay bothers me too much, I just switch to the 700k stream at mlb.com. The money is worth it to me. I do like the mosaic feature and will look forward someday for it to perform perfectly.
Mosaic – is widescreen ever going to come back?
I'm quite happy with the Premium package myself and don't feel that the cost is that high at all. The bugs that are being worked on, are par for the course when your dealing with streaming video, from what my cable company tells me. Every computer will react differently, with some easier to setup then others.
I have a wishlist item for Mosaic: Since it's part of the Premium band subscription it would be cool if, when you went to the single game window; it played at the 700bps rate rather than the 400 one it seems to on my system. Otherwise it looks great on my 8mbps link here in London UK. Otherwise I just look forward to the 1 big, 2 small layout on the Coming Soon section, this is really an awesome product and I'm really happy that my favourite North American sport is also the most forward-thinking in allowing me to catch the games I would otherwise miss.
When I maximize the window, the actual application doesn't maximize, so the windows are still smaller than they should be. Any ideas on what could be wrong? Thanks
So what about that marlins game form 4/10 that I was promised "coming soon"? Is that a lost cause or what?
After i close down the program i have to reinstall everytime. Bc after i close and the restart i get the following msssg:
Couldn't read TVScript Application from C:\ProgramData\MLB TV\Mosaic\TVScriptApp\mlb_broadband_ondemand_2007_qcb:
Error HRESULT E_Fail has been terminated from a call to a COM component
Now what the heck does that mean??? and how do i fix it
I am extremely disappointed with the inferior customer support. I have repeatedly posted my issues to no avail. I run Mosaic on a Macbook, and I can't make it through half an inning without the screen freezing, going black, and and indication of a "Stream Error: Retrying" I have been an MLB subscriber for 2 years now. If I don't get any help, I will promptly call my credit company and un-authorize any payment from my card, in addition to placing a call to the BBB on the grounds of EXTREMELY false advertising.
With the last 2 versions, I keep getting kicked out of mosaic..saying that there is no internet connection.
I have a 5mbs connection. I can open 4 seperate 700kbs games through the browser and watch them crystal clear, but I cannot watch one game on the mosaic.
It is not my internet connection, not my neighbourhood, it is the mosaic. This never happened until the last 2 releases and I didn't hear anyone else here complain about it until then. Can you please look into it…..and please don't tell me to upgrade my video card, I don't care about the 4/6 screen.
Apologies if this has been asked previously.
Why does Mosaic (Swarmcast) add the startup item to Windows c:\prorgram files\swarmcast\swarmcast.exe ?
Clearly this file is necessary while Mosaic is running, but each time there is a build update I have to remove this startup file with msconfig from Windows startup.
Is there a place within the Mosiac program to uncheck or unselect "start with Windows"? If not why?
Aside from that the service is awesome
yeah, what good is sending you my DXDIAG if you cant even give me a response outside the "we are processing your request" email within a 2 week period?
It's a month into the season and still 0 answers, you people should be extremely disappointed with yourselves, as you are not only beginning to lose a customer, but also a loyal fan.
Wanted to post something positive and offer up what worked for me. I had been able to use Mosaic on my work computer but could not get it to work properly at home. I have a newer computer (2 years old) with plenty of bandwidth and memory. The program would load and I had audio but no video. I was able to watch single games from the regular premium site, but nothing on Mosaic. I noticed in the specs that the video card had to be compatible with Direct X 9.0c. I have an Nvidia GE Force 4 video card. I unintstalled the existing drivers and downloaded the most current drivers available from their website which stated they are compatible with Direct X 9.0. Viola! I fired it back up and Mosaic works like a charm. For you computer novices like me, this could be a fix for you. I was getting frustrated like many of you, but it was worth the various fixes I tried to get the program to work. Mosaic is great and now I'll enjoy the season that much more.
Anybody Home? I have made several posts and I have not seen a response…. Mosaic? Are you out there?
I've been getting the following error: "Application Open Failed. Couldn't read TVScript Application from C:\ProgramData\MLB TV Mosaic\TVScriptApp\mlb_broadband_ondemand_2007.qcb: Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component." I have downloaded the latest version and it works fine the first time. But next time I start the Mosaic application, this error pops up. I have uninstalled/re-installed multiple times but without fail, this error pops up when I go to view games in Mosaic subesequently.
Please let me know how I can resolve this.
Hey Mosaic,
I'm still here. I am now watching Texas@Toronto no problem whatsoever. I try to watch Baltimore@Detroit and its completely unwatchable (buffering/stream errors) either with Mosaic or the Web. WHY??? Obviously I have enough bandwidth to watch one stream, the program works fine, so the other stream must have some problem on YOUR end. If I am wrong please let me know! If not, what are you doing about it? And why wasn't there some kind of disclaimer about the performance of your system BEFORE I spent the $$$. I'm not being unreasonable, I just want to know the straight dope.
Am I missing something? When I am in the 4 and 6 screen mode i hear no sound. Shouldn't you be able to hear the sound of the currently highlighted game? I have to open a game up to hear the sound!
Dear Mosaic,
I stand corrected. There IS a disclaimer.
(The Services are subject to transmission limitations of the Internet and, as applicable, wireless carriers, including, but not limited to, video and/or audio dropouts, rebuffering or loss of connection.)
Unfortunately, this disclaimer is BURIED on page 7 of the 12 page service agreement. Why don't they have the decency to put it somewhere where it might actually inform prospective customers, like on the Bandwidth Test page?
I know you are a tech guy, so my question is not really in your area, but what is the deal on the technical side? Am I just screwed? Should I just cancel? Is there any hope that this "internet transmission" problem will get better in the future? Help me out man.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE fix the single game stream!! Very frustrating! The o's game is constanly freezing. My computers on a fios connection…it should have NO problems…
"…problem I have is with certain games that continually buffer and are unwatchable! I don't get it! At the same time one game may be perfectly fine, but switch to a different game and its horrible. I have to believe this is on YOUR end! Am I wrong?? Help me!"
phewall…get comfortable, this is a problem they don't even address! I have the same crappy problem as do a lot of people out there, but Justin and the rest of the Mosaic "so called techs" either are not addressing it, or don't know how to address it.
Ok I just got this mosaic thing yesterday. It worked pretty good but had a little buffering problems every now and then with the 4 screen view. But the most annoying thing of all was that the little baseball diamond under the screens where updating before it was happening on the TV screen. For Example Ramirez was at bat, bases loaded, 2 outs, score 2 – 1. Before his at bat I was watching was over the little diamond underneath showed no runners on and the score was still 2 – 1. Obviously I knew he got out before it actually happened. Very Very annoying for me to know what happens before I see it happening. It's like knowing how a movie ends before you watch it, what's the point of watching it? Can this please be fixed?
hey justin, espn has been catching tons of grief from mlb for the messed up fantasy product. i think the kinks in mosaic need to be worked on just as much. i ask for only one thing. please e-mail all sucscribers when the product finally works. that said, i get goosebumps every time the **** thing loads up. a really cool concept. on a personal note now, i live in israel, so it's a shame my favorate teams (mets and yankees) can't be viewed because i paid with my ny-based american credit card. please respond, and take care -pete
anyone else noticing games slowing down then speeding up real fast to catch up with the new build? i rarely had this problem before but its happening if i have firefox open tracking my fantasy team and mosaic.
of course, there are other little things open in the background but nothing new since the previous build??
help…i only can watch in the lowest video quality..the higher 2 all i get is an error…2nd…why are the alerts minutes behind actual action?
Another day of free beta testing for Mosaic…
Mid and (cough cough) high resolution don't work today – nothing but stream errors.
No quality improvements made in a month that I can tell, when trying to watch 4 or 6 games at once.
And as always, anything negative is just ignored.
(I know, I know, you ignore criticism…way to treat your customers!)
Ok I tried wathching the 4 screen display again last night and once again those little diamonds in between the team names, under the screen updated before the action I was watching. I mean come on, just get rid of the diamonds if they are gonna update a minute before the action I am watching. There really is no sense in me watching it. I might as well just go to mlb.com and watch the scoreboard ticker.
Heh, I noticed something today. For a while now I haven't been able to use Mosaic at work, I'm assuming due to a network issue. The app loads but the buffering is just too severe.
So I closed Mosaic and just moved on.
Then I ran a ping test on http://www.yahoo.com and noticed that it was very slow — I went into task manager and noticed that swarmcast was still running. Once I killed swarmcast my computer response time was much better. Perhaps there's something that can be done to Swarmcast so that it doesn't destroy my bandwidth even when Mosaic isn't running…
Reply from 188.8.131.52: bytes=32 time=73ms TTL=52
Reply from 126.96.36.199: bytes=32 time=65ms TTL=52
Reply from 220.127.116.11: bytes=32 time=69ms TTL=52
Reply from 18.104.22.168: bytes=32 time=92ms TTL=52
Reply from 188.8.131.52: bytes=32 time=85ms TTL=52
Reply from 18.104.22.168: bytes=32 time=82ms TTL=52
Reply from 22.214.171.124: bytes=32 time=64ms TTL=52
Reply from 126.96.36.199: bytes=32 time=23ms TTL=52 *** Killing Swarmcast here
Reply from 22.214.171.124: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=52
Reply from 126.96.36.199: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=52
Reply from 22.214.171.124: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=52
Reply from 18.104.22.168: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=52
Reply from 18.104.22.168: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=52
Reply from 184.108.40.206: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=52
Today's Pit/Cub game is not on the Mosaic. The Game shown is yesterday's game which was rained out in the seven'th inning. They completed this game at the start of today's game. Today's game is on right now. It is on MLB-TV and MLB-TV Premium but not on the Mosaic.
I can not f###ing stand seeing what has happened before it happened on the screen. This is the third time I am writing about this and it is extemely annoying. Watching the Mets, Marlins game and Reyes is at third with Beltran up, score 2 – 1. As a pitcher catcher meeting was going on, the little diamond under the screen showed a runner at first and the score 3 – 1. So I kind of got the hint Beltran hit a rbi single. Then 2 pitchs later guess what….he did. Now I know there is other problems like the buffering and little screen freezes every now and then, but this is by far the most annoying to me. Can you just get rid of the fu@@ing diamond.
You can not watch the fu@@ing diamonds by clicking on Box Scores instead of Game Status.
swyman18, would you mind telling me how to click on box scores instead of game status. I can't find whatever your talking about on the 4 screen display.
I just signed up and on my macbookpro, when I switch to a single game on mosaic, I lose the sound. When I go back to the 4×4 page the sound comes back.
My apologies, I thought you were referring to watching a single game. I just try not to pay attention to the diamonds in mosaic mode. I imagine it's just an issue of the video/audio feed being delayed by 10 seconds or so from the Gameday updates. You're right, probably not much they can do other than get rid of them.
I am not ignoring issues in fact I've been very busy helping the people who have done as the post said and emailed me with the problem they are having and details about their computer.
If you are having a issue with the mosaic we have opened up a direct email for you and the response time has been very good. Posting on the blog I do not get information about your system, what steps you are taking to get the problem, and I can not get direct feedback from you.
We will have a forum up very soon that will help.
Regarding the Diamond updating before the video shows the play. As another user posted, this is just due to the fact that the games on the Mosaic have to be rendered together and thus a delay is produced. I have watched many a game and had the updates be perfect. Yet another game will be ahead or way behind. I have notified the developers about this issue, but there is no easy solution, as it does not always happen this way. If you are interested in watching a single game where the data updates are closer to the video, click into the game.
All other issues just email me.
Thank you!
Posted by: email@example.com
I've been getting the following error: "Application Open Failed. Couldn't read TVScript Application from C:\ProgramData\MLB TV Mosaic\TVScriptApp\mlb_broadband_ondemand_2007.qcb: Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component."
This error occurs under Vista because you are not running as an Administrator.
After the application is installed Right click on the desktop Icon and select "Properties"
Then select the Advanced button
Select the Run As administrator
Select ok
@ email@example.com
Single game streams are 400k 700k the larger streams are for the mosaic only. Sorry if that was not clear.
Strait dope, is do as others have done, contact your cable provider check other sites with streaming live content. In most cases it's not specific to the Mosaic, actually in every case so far.
Swarmcast is necessary for the Medium and High quality 6 & 4 game views.
I hope we can get a feature selection for true full screen and Aspect ratio, but no time line for that feature yet.
You should hear sound on the 4 & 6 screen games. Email me your DXDIAG or just email me and I'll tell you how do get that file to me.
@ firstname.lastname@example.com
Just so you dont feel left out.. hi, were you the fellow with the 8MB video card who was having video buffering issues? Seriously though if you have an issue you want help with I'm here.
Lots of room for more features in the fantasy aspect of the Mosaic. Thanks for the feedback.
Dual monitors? I have noticed that with a few tabs open Fire Fox will eat up more system memory than the Mosaic.
That would be due to swarmcast not running or not being allowed access to the internet.
Seems like a lost cause, since I do not see it on the MLB.com website the mosaic will not be able to play it either.
Email me with your DXDIAG, but in the mean time reinstall your video card driver. I found that a Windows Update that Vista did messed with the C++ redistributable and messed with some video cards. A reinstall of my driver fixed it.
If you click onto the higher quality stream and then come back it will remember you left at 700k and attempt to reconnect at that speed the next time you enter a single game.
Vista users who are getting crashes. A recent Windows update caused some issues with video card drivers. Please reinstall your video card driver if you are having the Mosaic crash error ending 800703e6
My dear Mr. Mosaic.
What do you mean by video card? Do you mean, like, a Blockbuster Card?
bostoncybersox (at) yahoo.com, thanks for taking the time to report the
behavior you've described above in Swarmcast. We've never seen anything like that before, but we're taking it very seriously — we're a company that's all about making online video delivery amazing, not making network connections worse.
I'm contacting you by email to work through this and I'll make sure anything we figure out gets reported back to this blog in case any else ever sees the same thing.
Thanks, RB @ Swarmcast Support
rvn…I am resigned to the fact that I will get Charlie Chaplin video and lousy video and I can see as much as I can to see which I've accepted…. As for the product…it's like a low budget movie but you have to deal with it. I emailed stuff a month ago and never got a response. I'll hang with it and hope this thing gets it act together….I'm done complaining because no one gives a sheet,,,,
Having a super fast PC is not really required. And Vista surely isn't. What you need is one that is within the required specifications. Your message here, does not offer the techs anything to go by in order to help.
I've checked other pro sports online feed recently such as hockey, and found the same issues that I have with Mosaic. Buffering is often a problem with traffic from your cable company, rather then the source of the feed.
This is what my cable company explained to me. I have Comcast. You might want to chat with your ISP as well.
I continue to have problems with single screen game. I can get the 6 games or 4 games…but when I want to connect to a single game no matter which video quality..there is no picture…help please
The Yankees-Rangers game says Archived game available at bottom of game in six-game view and when I click to watch it, it brings me to the first game today. Why is there always problems with double-headers, suspended games, etc..
ok Im fed up this is by far the bigest piece of garbage Ive ever used NEVER works as advertised 1 stream will work others are hoarked Goodbye!
I need help! I just purchased the MLB.TV premium subscription and am having problems. I'm only trying to view single games. The 700k, 400k, and even radio streams will only play for about 10 to 15 seconds the most before buffering again. And it takes about 10 seconds to buffer before it will come back, many times longer. Sometimes it doesn't even come back, it just stops and I have to close and reopen again. I've changed some settings in WMP from some comments I've read through already. I did that bandwidth test which said my speed was 6075kbps. I don't have any other programs at all running while I'm watching. Please help or I'll have to cancel this!
As, the sweet smell of a newby discovering what we all know. I love the smell of a newby in the morning. It smells like . . . vindication!
@hogan – hey buddy good to see you on the board again!
i had the same problem last night re: the yankees' 2nd game. is it a case of somebody being asleep at the switch? i was pretty livid about having to settle for a 6 game view of game 2 (and a stripe across the screen to limit it even further)…but luckily i'd been out for 5 pale ales at the pub earlier. lol
did they respond to this issue at all?
Why on earth wouldn't you watch the second Yankee game via the web? It's more reliable and the picture is a lot better than anything Mosaic has.Must've been the 5 pale ales.
@ email@example.com
Andy you only sent me part of your DXDIAG, and I did reply to you.
@ Doubleheaders and archive games. I'll look into that one. I can suggest that you use "on demand" to watch each game for now.
I posted the following on April 23, when Mosaic hadn't been working for 3 days. I tried uninstalling/reinstalling. After a few desultory emails, and sending the DXDIAG, I haven't heard anything useful. It now hasn't worked for 2 weeks.
Worked pretty well up until about 3 days ago, then whenever I tried to run the program no updates would come in, it would show loading and cycle for about 10 seconds, and then display the following error message:
The MLB.TV Mosaic got an unanticipated exception while loggin in. Padding is invalid and cannot be removed.
I then click OK and the program closes. Help!
Posted by: email@example.com | April 23, 2007 09:11 PM
I really want to use this and want to like it, but unless it gets fixed soon I'm going to have to cancel and sign up for the cable package. Can anybody help, soon?
Ahhhh, fresh meat. Mr. Blum sir? A word of obvious advice: sign up for the cable package.
First the good news – I uninstalled both swarmcast and Mosaic, then re-installed them, and I can watch 6 games at once again.
Now for the bad news – the quality continues to be much worse than what you advertise in the Demo.
Now then, my computer is state-of-the-art, my DSL is high-speed, etc., etc.
So it's not my computer.
I signed in for the first time is a few weeks hoping that you have fixed some of these glitches. Now the games come up but smaller (4 inches by 4 inches) and I can't control them (meaning I can't click on games, change the number of games, control anything). When I maximize the screen, all I get is black. No controls, no games, no volume. I restarted my computer just to be sure. Nope, nada. ***? I would subscribe to cable but mine doesn't offer it. POS. Oh, now I get an error that says "Unhandled exception has occurred in your appplicatoin. If you click continue, the applicaton will ignore this error and attempt to continue. If you click Quit, the applicatoin will close immediately. Attempted to read or write protected memory. THis is often an indication that other memory is corrupt". ***?
PLEASE lose the "Mosaic has been inactive, would you like to continue" warning. it's unnecessary and infuriating, and when it happens during an archived game, it restarts the game from the beginning.
any news for us on whether a future build might rid us of this annoying feature?
everything else rules! thanks!
When are the other views going to come??????
why are like almost all games blacked out today?
Everything is blacked out because Fox has exclusive rights on the broadcasting of baseball on Saturdays prior to 7PM.
I understand that baseball's primary interest is the TV contract money and not my MLB.tv money, but it sure would be nice if they could amend their Saturday Sox contract so that games are only blacked out when they start at the same time as the Fox game. Fox isn't broadcasting until 3:55PM today, so it would be nice if they let us watch one of the two 1PM games while we waited for the 4PM games to come on the air.
It's a minor issue, but one that MLB should address…
I know this isn't the place for this, BUT who do I complain to for games that are blacked out yet are not on TV? This keeps happening to me for my Cubs' games, which is the whole reason I bought this thing in the first place.
Well the last few days the Mosaic has been working great for me. I watch the single games on the highest video quality and have had less problems every day. The other night I watched the 4 game screen and the diamonds were actually updating a second or two after the play on the screen. That was great. Now I just have one question. When will we be getting the options screen options that say "coming soon"? Anyway I hope it just keeps getting better, it seems to be the case so far. Love the player tracker.
Mosaic..I didn't get any email from you…just 25 or so from MLB.com telling me about my subscription and what I owe them. I checked every day.
I'm experiencing a 3 second delay between the video and audio. This has been the case in each release and in both high and low quality video modes. Is this issue going to be addressed?
Ted Silva: I've had the same problem right from the beginning of this year. I understand that Mosaic is in the process of up-dating all of their media players and working on timing problems. Let's hope the problem gets solved soon. It is annoying to hear the sound out of sync with the video.
Have had this programsince the first day of the season and it has never worked…MLB.TV works great when i watch single games but Mosaic is not working, all the tv screens are black, no sound/video has ever been heard/seen by me…how can i fix the problem, someone please help
The Dodgers-Braves game is not playing. Instead, when I click on the Dodgers-Braves game, it shows the stats for the game but the video is simply a preview of KC-Detroit.
"The Dodgers-Braves game is not playing. Instead, when I click on the Dodgers-Braves game, it shows the stats for the game but the video is simply a preview of KC-Detroit."
I saw that. There's a rain delay graphic, but I've got the game on TBS, and it's a beautiful, sunny day.
When I try to watch an archived game I get the following error:
Network Stream error
and a box pops up saying "Unable to connect. Try a different quality level"
I've tried the lowest quality level and nothing works.
Please help!
Is anyone else noticing that the audio is no synced up with the video on the six-game view?
It seems that the audio is a couple of seconds ahead.
I use a MacBook Pro and was doing fine. Took the recent update via automatic download/software update and now – can no longer see picture(s) on any screen
I have a question about the Saturday blacking out. Why did you black out games that weren't on fox in any region?????? There were 3 games on fox that should have been blacked out so why black out the cubs nats or the cards astros games if there not even on fox?????
I can get audio on all Mosaic but no video. Any suggestions appreciated.
What happened to my account?!?!
I paid for the Annual MLB.TV PREMIUM package and then, in the middle of today's Giants x Mets game they cancelled it???
Now everytime I try to connect using my account they say I have to pay for it again?!?!********!!! I'm sick of having problems with MLB.TV!!!!! I just wanna know what happened!!!!
Hmm it seems like my credit card has expired… but the thing is, I bought the annual package… Do they charge you monthly? Even when you buy it annualy?
My credit card expired on March/07… and we're well into May… Why would they let me use MLB.TV the whole month of April and some days of May?
May someone help me out? Thanks.
Sorry for the triple-post guys. This post above is the same guy as guga_mlb just on a friend's account.
Where is everyone? Either everbody's problems have been solved, or your giving up on Mosaic. It would be good if we heard from someone with an up-date or current status of the mosaic feature. I'm going to stick it out and hope for the best. By the way, Here's something you may try if you get an unhandled exception error when you try to access mosaic. Whenever I get this error, I immediately restart the computer and then right click the curser and click run administrator and I gain access. So far it has worked every time. Hope this helps someone having the same problem. Meanwhile, keep the faith. Maybe we'll hear from Justin soon.
Okay, I've brought this up before, but what possible reason does Mosaic have for caring whether I've changed games recently? This is easily the dumbest service possible. If I want to watch the same **** game for longer than 20 minutes, THEN LET ME! Good lord. Please reprimand the ***** who thought the inactivity popup would be a crowd pleaser. Oh, and LET ME WATCH THE FREAKIN' GAME. I PAID FOR THE SUBSCRIPTION, QUIT TELLING ME HOW TO USE IT!!!
And for the record, so I don't get banned or something, the asterisked word was not vulgar. It was m-o-r-o-n.
Slightly off-topic, but it needs to be stated. When games are being played at Wrigley Field, please do not go to "Pac-Man" in the middle of the 7th inning until AFTER "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" is played. The guys at the switch have botched this at least 3-4 times already this year, including tonight.
I can only view Mosaic in the lowest quality and it is super fuzzy/pixealted. I completed a speed test and it came back at 10711kb.
Is there something I need to do to fix this?
MLB account issues please use
Mosaic support please use
Just downloaded new update A210 at 5:30pm, Wed, CDT. Can you please tell us what to look for in the new release as far as fixes, improvements, etc. It downloaded fine, and is playing fine also at middle video quality level. Thanks
I want to thank the blog owners of this blog for providing our e-mail addresses for spammers and phishers. Since my initial comment on this blog 3 weeks ago, my present e-mail address [here] has been grabbed. This indicates the non-professional makeup of of this organization. However, I should have known better.
my favortie team is the cleveland indians and I'm kind of frustrated I can't see my home team on mlb.tv and the mosaic because of the blackout and my zip code being blacked out. Is their any way to fix it in order to see my hometown teams games?
Please tell us who can talk to about the stupid blackout rules. I've emailed mlb about it and no response. If major league baseball really cared about its and fans and not just their money they would do something about this.
Why are the 1 PM games blacked out? They were listed on the weekly email?
yeah, really, what gives? mets.com says hte game is being broadcast on SNY and there is no way that that is nationally broadcast so why is it blacked out? and again, yeah, it was listed in the weekly email so ???????
A few weeks ago, a 1:10 Mets home start was on mlb.com even though it wasn't on EI. Today, neither is on.
FOX isn't even *doing* saturday baseball today so i don't get it.
Fox has their games at 3 eastern but MLB, giving into anybody that throws them money, allows a Saturday blackout from 1 to 7.
Fantastic! MLB is streaming a classical concert for Mother's Day! That's exactly why I have mlb.com. I can't see my team this afternoon but I'm thrilled that I can see a concert. Way to go MLB!!!
Interesting how the 1:00 Saturday games weren't blacked out during the free trial period in April. Seems like a way of tricking potential subscribers into thinking they would be able to see those games all season. Now that the trial's over, those games are blacked out.
Where can we actually be heard about our blackout complaints, anyone know? Cause it seems like they aren't responding to us at all. Being a cubs fan in Los Angeles I bought MLB.TV to watch all their games. Yet time and time again their games are being blocked because Fox is showing them some where else in the country. If I recall correctly I was told I could watch "all your teams out of market games" but I guess they left out the part where they black out games shown in other places . . . . . Seriously what gives?
WHY ARE THESE GAMES BLACKED OUT??? There are 3 games on fox that should be blacked out so why the heck are the other ones blacked out? THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS
I keep getting a stream error. not an equipment or internet issue. is mosiac working for all of you?
I'm having the same problem as bwdunbar, in addition I'm being told I need to have an audio card and updated drivers. My puter is pretty new, I keep all my drivers up to date, and on top of that up until this latest update (this evening – haven't logged on in a couple of days) I have never,ever had a problem, and I've been a subscriber longer than this sentence has run on.
Can anyone help me stop the player tracker? Ever since the latest update, I can't turn it off. I even tried putting one (rarely used) player on my roster, but the player tracker keeps posting info about EVERY PLAYER THAT EXISTS. Can someone help me?
I have the same problem as mgmpbd right now. The player tracker is ignoring the guys I have selected and it's showing every single player. This really rather annoying.
I have two simple questions.
1. What is being done to improve the quality of the high-speed streams, so that they are more "tv-like?"
2. What is being done about the problem with streams lagging behind results displayed by both the little red dots for men on base, and the scoreboard below the video showing changes before we get to see them happen?
Please get rid of the "inactive" function. I run mosaic all day while working, and it keeps cutting the games off . Just because Im not clicking buttons doesn't mean Im not watching. And could we please get some way to get rid of the organ music at the commercial breaks. It is driving me crazy. I would prefer silence that I dont have to mute myself while working.
All else is working fine on the intel mac.
To all those who complain about blackouts:
Fox has exclusivity on Saturday afternoons. That means usually any game in the afternoon that starts before 7pm Eastern gets blacked out. There are some exception for early games.
Please stop whining on the board about it, because this isn't the right forum for it.
Can anyone at Mosaic tell me when you think the other 2 portals will be available? I'd rather watch 1 main game and 1 or 2 others at the same time. These two portals I think would be more appealing than the 4 or 6 game portals. Are there other people who feel the same way? Please comment and let Mosaic know your preference.
Info for all users:
On Monday, 5/14, I tried to log into Mosaic at noon, CDT. I have been using Mosaic Version A210 since it became available without any problem, even used it late last night ok. Today when I tried to login, I got an error telling me I needed to update my Directx drivers (whatever that is). I went to Cnet.com, and reloaded the drivers, a BIG 59 mb file taking 13 minutes to download. Still got the same error when I tried to run Mosaic after downloading the new Directx drivers (Dec 06 Version), so I went to add/delete in the XP control panel and deleted both Mosaic and Swarmcast, and redownloaded the Mosaic application from scratch. This time I got Error 0 during the installation process, telling me I needed to update my video card–NO WAY!!!! Mosaic had been working perfectly as well as late last night for me using Version A210 and my currently installed video card. So, I next rebooted my pc, a late model Dell XPS Model 400, and tried to rerun the Mosaic installation icon I had previously saved on my desktop, and guess what happened???? Everything loaded just fine, an update was found having 14 files, and within 2 minutes Mosaic Version A210 was once again running perfectly on my pc. So, Mosaic team, what gives??? It is obvious to me that from what I just experienced, the problems most people are having is not with their pc's, but with Mosaic itself. It is simply not a stable product yet, and should not be advertised as such.
MLB account issues please use
Mosaic support please use
First off, let me say I have not used the mosiac for a couple weeks because of time constraints and the problems with the mosiac. I logged in tonight and still cannot use anything but the lowest quality video. And video seems to cut out occasionally. I have not taken time to read all the post since, so I do not know if I need to uninstall and re-install the newest version. I assume that the "checking for updates" take care of this. Can someone help?
ricktopher: You haven't missed much. There was a new version 210 that was up-dated recently. Check to see in your preferences in the upper right hand corner to see whether you have the newest version. The mid and high quality level video worked for 1 day after the up-date, but I'm only getting streaming in the low level right now. I'm sure Mosaic is also aware since they haven't issued any statement since April 27. Hang in there. They will figure it out eventually. By the way, are you getting a 2 second delay in the audio in the single game live mosaic?
@ adkinsjm
If this isn't the right forum to complain about blackouts then tell us where it is.
I've emailed MLB and FOX several times with no response. I just have to laugh when I watch a game and the announcer tells you if you're out of town you can log on to mlb.tv and watch your team play.
Ah, yes. The inactivity popup just made an appearance. Of course, I had just changed games less than ten minutes before. It's a GREAT feature, guys.
Hey, how about a popup every half inning, just to make sure everyone is watching the game they really want to watch? Because apparently we're just too stupid to navigate to the correct game.
I think mlb.tv is really missing an opportunity to add completely worthless features to mosaic. Come on, guys. Screw up my viewing some more. It's not like I'm paying for this or anything.
I too would very much like to see the other two "coming soon" views, or at the very least an ETA on when we should be seeing them.
Seriously, Love it. I think it's great and it works without a hitch for me every time. It's not supernatural so I don't know what everyone else's issues are. I would still love to see audio options in place and it looks like that is the works. Being a developer, a project like that seems very difficult.
You guys are doing great. I LOVE Mosaic and keep up the great work. We know you are working hard and we appreciate it.
If only we could get rid of these blackout restrictions. For paying a hefty subscription fee, we really should be able to watch every game. I'd even pay a little extra to watch blacked out games…though we shouldn't have to. Blackouts and packman between innings aside, you have a winner and those of us who just like to watch baseball, no matter what team appreciate it.
How can we protest the blackout restrictions? I say, no one pays a subscription next year until the blackout agreement is lifted. Who's with me!?
Maybe ask these guys to use a little more common sense when it comes to the development of Mosaic. The bad features are obvious! How long do we have to harp about the negatives? It's so close to being an amazing application!!!! Keep trying.
Last evening was perhaps the worst yet. I have been quite pleased until then, but the Detroit-Boston game was unwatchable. The picture buffered every to minutes.
However, the Dodgers-Cardinals game was fine.
Is it just a question of MLB not having the server capacity? Nothing changed on my end between 9 and 10, but why was one stream demonstrably better than the other?
I, too, appreciate the work MLB.tv has done, but a paid product should not have the inconsistency I witnessed last night.
In addition, why has there been a three-week absence of posts from MLB.tv on this blog? Has nothing occurred?
I hope tonight goes better.
To MLB.COM regarding the pencil sharpener commercial break video: The same to you.
MLB account issues please use
Mosaic support please use
Posted by: email@example.com | May 14, 2007 02:48 PM
This is because the blog has not been as effective in reaching you as we had hoped. We have a forum up and ready, hopefully that will be released soon as it contains a lot of helpful information. Until then it is best to just email me problems.
I keep getting the (error 0) respond what does that mean, I checked my card and it should be compatible with the mosaic… help???
I don't get any video! This new update screwed my Mosaic! Can we go back to something that works?
Hi I get an error that says 'content unavailable' for every game (even ones that aren't blacked out). the only channel that works is the baseballchannel.tv.
I have a new laptop dualcore2 1.73 and a 512mb nvidia geforce 7600 graffic card 2 gigs of ram. Vista Primium Home. I experimented with the settings in Media Player, turns out things worked well with only the last item checked HTTP. This solved all my problems with the 400k stream on watching with mlb. I tried downloading mosaic but it informed me something was not installed properly so I canceled the download and did not try in on my Vista Machine. I cannot still watch the 700 k stream without in stopping to buffer every now and then. My laptop is wireless at at the other end of the house from the router, when checking the speed of the bandwith with the link you provide mine says 650kb so I assume my high speed internet is not fast enough. I also noticed when my son is online at the same time my 400k stream also buffers, doesn't happen when I am online alone though so I assume my dsl isn't fast enough, they say its 100mps I think. I downloaded mosaic on an xp machine with a athlon 3500 processor 256 ati graffic card checked only the last two network setting boxes http being the last. stream worked at 400 k fine 700 k buffered once in a while, downloaded mosaic and it installed without any errors as happened on the vista machine, mosaic worked well at 400 k although the vidio is half as good as the 400 on mlb, choppy and buffers at 700k or the higher setting vidio freezet sound keeps going though. I find watching the 400 streams on mlb watchable at medium screen size. I do not enjoy the buffering at 700k. Again 400k works well only when I am online myself if my son is online on another computer the dsl I have apparently doesn't keep up if another computer is on the same
Overall, Mosaic is pretty sweet. I push audio and video from my 8800GTS and RealtekHD to my HT and HDTV @ 720p. During the course of a game, I get the annoying Time Out No activity, Hit OK button. By the time I make it back to my PC, I end up having to relaunch the application. Is there a better solution? In addtion, I get an average of 5-6 video/audio "freezes" which require re-establishing the feed to the game I'm watching. If any additional info required, I'll be happy to provide. Thanks & Go Red Sox!, TTx
I have a mac and any mlb site I go the page continues to refresh and I can not click anything on the site I am on, and I can not get to any of the games for audio. the error message that comes up is jcarousel/:no width/height set for items. This will cause an infinite loop. Aborting…. How can this be fixed?
Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible.
– Air Jordan

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by Microbass, Feb 8, 2004.
he wants how much?
ceereusley, r u sirprized?
nop, eezt ah singed bas, d00d1
g0 oot an by, it, min!111
The pages hasnt loaded, and i can only read 'godsmack signed guitar'. The guitar is worth more WITHOUT them signing it.
$2000! No way...
I'd go for it if the guy delivered it in his own truck...and left the truck for me.
Neck threw? Where did he throw it?
ba dum chhh
I'd give that for it if God had signed it.
"nice neck threw with black hard wear" Is he/she so stoked that he/she can't even spell things correctly?!
I don't understand why people get instruments signed. First of all, it doesn't do much for the value of an instrument. And if you decide to play the instrument, it just a) looks dumb and b) wipes off.
I assume that by "mint" he means "awesome" and not mint as in "mint-condition"... Must be from Massachusetts
He means he will throw in an Altoid to get out that awful taste listening to Godsmack will put in your mouth.
bro that is the wickedest thing i've heard all day! LOL...
very very funny!


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Mobile Post: Re: A reader's response to your article on millennial spending
Posted by meglehman on:
Hi, just touching base to see if you received my email? Iâm sure youâre super busy and things slip through the cracks, but just figured I'd try one last time - just wanted to make sure you had a chance to see this, I won't bother you again! On Friday, July 21, 2017 at 5:34 PM, Tiffany McAdams < firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote: > Hello, just wanted to reach out and follow up to see if you received my > email? > > On Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at 1:19 PM, Tiffany McAdams < > email@example.com> wrote: > >> Hi there, I was doing some research and ended up on one of your articles >> about millennial spending, thanks for the info! >> >> I recently finished putting together an infographic that shows how much >> health correlates with wealth. Everyone knows that exercise is a necessary >> part of living a long and full life, but we might not realize how much it >> can affect your pocketbook as well. We've quantified in dollar amounts >> various health habits and their impacts on people's finances. >> >> In particular, I was surprised at how damaging physical inactivity was... >> the World Health Organization lists it as the 4th leading risk factor in >> human mortality worldwide - that definitely motivated me to start working >> out more! >> >> All in all, it's pretty interesting data, and given your past coverage on >> the topic, I thought you'd might want to take a look. >> >> Please hit reply and let me know if you want to check it out. In any >> case, keep up the great work! >> >> Thanks, >> Tiffany >> >> >> >> >


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At the junction of Highway 120 and Highway 6 in beautiful Mono County you'll find Benton Station. Just down the road is the Inn at Benton Hot Springs, where rustic elegance in a tranquil surrounding awaits you.
Come watch the stars, listen to the sounds of nature, and soak in our soothing waters. Come relax and rejuvenate again and again in these historic hot tubs.


text:
The Chinese Crested dog breed was created to be an invalid's companion. In that setting, you won't find a better dog. They can almost read your mind and will lie in bed for hours without moving a muscle. They have almost no desire to go out and run around like regular dogs, although they are athletic enough to jump surprisingly tall fences and compete in agility. Chinese Cresteds are not gregarious, but they are intensely social and bond quickly within their pack. They don't accept strangers easily. Once it falls in love with you, you'll have a little stalker on your hands — he'll be eternally, thoroughly devoted.
Source: TeDog.com – Chinese Crested


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In South Carolina, Dragging a Dog Almost to Death is a Misdemeanor
The old white pickup truck passed two women who were out for a drive the day after Thanksgiving near Marietta, S.C. It was dragging something, and the women were shocked when they realized what it was. At the end of a rope was a helpless, struggling dog.
"I could see the rope, her hanging, and dragging, fighting for her life," Jennifer Bullock told WLOS TV. "I said oh my gosh Kay turn around, there's a dog being drug."
The rope finally snapped or was dropped, and the truck got away. The bloody trail left behind indicates the poor dog, a young pit bull, may have been dragged for over a mile. The women called Greenville County Animal Control, who responded to the scene and rushed the injured dog to an emergency animal hospital.
The two witnesses didn't see the driver's face or get a plate number, but two intrepid animal rescue volunteers were able to find two people who said they could identify the man responsible for this heartbreaking crime. With this information in hand, police have located and charged Roger Owens with animal cruelty for this offense.
That sounds great, but there's a problem. Incredibly, because South Carolina's animal cruelty laws are ridiculously lax, Owens has been charged only with a misdemeanor for this horrifying crime. At most, as an apparent two-time offender, under state law he faces a fine of up to $800 and 90 days in jail.
Fate Lends a Hand to Save a Pit Bill's Life
The pit bull, known today as Andra Grace, suffered injuries that were appalling and extensive. Her knees, paws and mammaries were scraped raw and in places torn open, exposing tendons and tissue. Some of her toenails were torn completely off.
One or more of her paws were "degloved," meaning the protective layer of skin and fur was completely scraped off. In addition, she clearly hadn't been fed well, as her ribs were plainly visible under her coat.
In the face of such devastating injuries, the vets were prepared to euthanize the poor dog. In a stroke of great good luck, just as Andra Grace was arriving at the animal hospital, a volunteer from Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation (SNARR), Cynthia Saracino, was at the facility picking up another dog.
Saracino notified SNARR's leadership about the situation. After speaking with the vet about Andra Grace's chances for a good quality of life if treated, SNARR agreed to take responsibility for paying for all the medical care this dog will need to recover.
It's going to take a lot of money, $10,000 or more, to help put Andra Grace on the road to recovery. She's undergone surgery for soft tissue damage and has had a blood transfusion. She'll still need a few weeks of constant care to enable her injuries to heal. Donations are already coming in from people eager to help.
Though it's only been a few days since this incident took place, a Facebook page set up by SNARR called Justice for Andra Grace already has over 36,000 followers. This case understandably tugs at many heart strings.
Andra Grace is bearing up remarkably well despite the gravity of her injuries and her previous maltreatment.
"She's got all the reasons to be mad and be upset with people when they approach her, be fearful of people. She's not. She's been very sweet through all of this," Dr. Brandon Adley, one of the vets who's treating Andra Grace, told WBTW.
Incredibly, just a week after this terrifying incident, Andra Grace was already walking again — and wagging her tail.
"It's amazing. It's a testament to her spirit, and her strength, and her will," Saracino told WBTW.
Breed Restrictions End Up Harming Yet Another Innocent Pit Bull
It turns out that Andra Grace was once known as Dixie. Just like the recent tragic story of abused pit bull "Puppy Doe," Andra Grace was given away by her original owner because she was moving somewhere that prohibited pit bulls. The unfortunate dog ended up in the hands of the wrong owner and almost died because of it.
Making the situation even more heart wrenching, Andra Grace is also a new mother. She had a litter of puppies around Halloween and should still have been nursing them at the time of this incident. SNARR volunteers managed to track down some of the puppies' whereabouts using tips from callers. Here's a photo of the puppies found so far:
Though they were too young to be away from their mother yet, four of Andra Grace's seven puppies had already been sold at five weeks of age. Luckily SNARR found the other three, and they are under a vet's care. Sadly, one of them has died of an infection he could not fight.
SNARR is still searching for the missing four puppies with hopes of buying them back. Andra Grace cannot nurse her puppies due to her injuries, so she has not been reunited with them so far.
Why Does the Driver Face Only a Misdemeanor Charge?
Reading about the incredible cruelty inflicted on this dog, you may be wondering why Roger Owens faces what amounts to a slap on the wrist. Blame South Carolina's animal cruelty laws. They are among the weakest in the nation.
Owens has been charged with the state's garden variety misdemeanor animal cruelty offense. However, another provision of the same state law would support prosecution of anyone who:
…tortures, torments, needlessly mutilates, cruelly kills, or inflicts excessive or repeated unnecessary pain or suffering upon any animal or by omission or commission causes the acts to be done…
Someone guilty of the above has committed a felony under state law and can be punished by six months imprisonment and a $5,000 fine. It's still not enough, but it's better than how the matter is currently being handled.
Surely dragging a defenseless, malnourished, nursing mother dog for over a mile behind a truck constitutes "torture," "torment" and/or the infliction of excessive and unnecessary pain and suffering. So what's the problem, Greenville County? Why haven't you charged this case as a felony animal cruelty offense?
Owens reportedly has an extensive history with local law enforcement, including a prior malicious animal cruelty conviction. He goes before a magistrate on the current misdemeanor charge on Dec. 20. You can keep track of the case by following the Justice for Andra Grace Facebook page.
May the rest of sweet Andra Grace's life be much more comfortable, secure and happy than her sad past.
If you'd like to encourage authorities in Greenville County to charge Roger Owens under the state's felony animal cruelty provision, sign this petition. Care2 will see that it is delivered to Greenville County Solicitor W.Walter Wilkins, who is responsible for prosecuting crimes in the jurisdiction where this ghastly incident occurred.
Photo credit: All images courtesy Justice for Andra Grace Facebook page


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JUBILEE YEAR for the CENTENNIAL of BLESSED ROMERO, 2016 — 2017
|The Presentation: March 14, 2017, El Paisnal, El Salvador.
#BlessedRomero #Beatification
By the side of the graves of Father Rutilio Grande and his "martyr" companions, Manuel Solorzano and Nelson Lemus, buried beneath the floor of the San Jose Church in El Paisnal, San Salvador Archbishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas presented a monumental new pastoral letter on the persecution of the Salvadoran Church and the martyrs it produced. [Spanish text.]
«Ustedes También Darán Testimonio, Porque Han Estado Conmigo Desde el Principio» ("You will also testify, because you have been with me since the beginning"—C.f., Jn. 15:27), Archbishop Escobar's second pastoral letter, coincides with the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of Fr. Rutilio Grande, a fact that does not go unnoticed in the archbishop's text. The Catholic hierarch calls it "grave" that "forty years after the martyrdom of Fr. Rutilio Grande García S.J ., I wish to recognize—as I must out of justice, truth and charity—that we have crossed the threshold of the third millennium in the Salvadoran Archdiocese without having pronounced a word of recognition of all the men and women who were victims of persecution, torture, repression; and in their final consequences, martyrs' deaths, following Christ and the incarnation of the Gospel in the country." [«Ustedes También», 3.]
The prelate attributes this oversight to possible "attempts to return to a certain type of ecclesiology and spirituality contrary to the renewal of the Second Vatican Council" and offers his apology: "I regret that this act of justice and charity toward our martyrs had not been carried out years earlier." [Ibid.] Later, Archbishop Escobar also apologizes for leaving out the laity in this letter dedicated to the martyrs who died having received some sacred order, including the priesthood and consecrated life. "I confess that we, the pastors of our ecclesiastical Province, have not inquired in depth about these types of martyrs," writes Escobar. "I apologize for our inaction." [Op. Cit., 147.] He also promises a future rectification. [Id.]
Specifically, the Letter, over 200 pgs. in length, contains testimonies for twenty-four particular martyrs of the Salvadoran Church, including 17 priests, 4 religious women, 2 bishops and one seminarian:
3. Fr. Alfonso Navarro, diocesan priest;
4. Fr. Rafael Ernesto Barrera Motto, diocesan priest;
5. Fr. Octavio Ortiz, diocesan priest;
6. Fr. Rafael Palacios, diocesan priest;
7. Fr. Alirio Napoleon Macias, diocesan priest;
8. Blessed Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez;
9. Fr. Cosme Spessotto, Franciscan Priest;
10. Jose Ohtmaro Cáceres, diocesan seminarian;
11. Fr. Manuel Antonio Reyes, oratorian priest;
12. Fr. Ernesto Abrego, oratorian priest;
13. Fr. Marcial Serrano, diocesan priest;
14. Sr. Dorothy Lu Kazel O.S.U;
15. Jean Donovan;
16. Sr. Ita Catherine Ford M.M .;
17. Sr. Maura Elizabeth Clarke M.M .;
18. Fr. Ignacio Ellacuria, Jesuit Priest;
19. Fr. Ignacio Martin Baro, Jesuit Priest;
20. Fr. Segundo Montes Mozo, Jesuit Priest;
21. Fr. Amando Lopez Quintana, Jesuit Priest;
22. Fr. Juan Ramon Moreno Pardo, Jesuit Priest;
23. Fr. Joaquín Lopez y Lopez, Jesuit Priest; and
24. Bishop Roberto Joaquin Ramos Umana.
For each of them, «Ustedes También» presents biographical data, a summary of the ecclesial mission of each individual, and the circumstances of their martyrdom. If this had been the only contribution of the letter, «Ustedes También» would already be of much value. Compared, for example, with an Americas Watch report that I have used as a reference for the Salvadoran martyrology, the archbishop's letter contains all of the cases cataloged by Americas Watch, and others more. In addition to the Salvadoran martyrs, the Archbishop's letter also pays homage to those of neighboring countries, including Bishop Gerardi and Stanley Rother in Guatemala. [«Ustedes También», 184-189.]
For all the martyrs as a group, Archbishop Escobar affirms once and for all that "they were martyrs, not because they adhered to an ideology, but because they tried to illuminate with faith a reality of pain, suffering, poverty, violence, Injustice, oppression, torture, marginalization and death." [Ibid., 176.] In the second part of the letter, Archbishop Escobar weaves an entire theology of martyrdom, from the pages of the Old and New Testaments, as well as from the magisterium of the Church. Even more, Escobar also begins to gather an ecclesiology of martyrdom. In some of his most poetic passages, he cites the ancient Christian literature of the Shepherd of Hermas to describe the building of the Church as the construction of a tower with stones so perfectly carved (representing the martyrs) that "the tower appeared as a single block." [Op. Cit., 11]
Finally, the Archbishop rails against the impunity that prevails in the country, demanding justice for his martyrs. [Id., 156-157.]
In the ninth year of his archbishopric, Archbishop Escobar has clearly found his voice, and it has a prophetic tenor. His first pastoral letter, last year, seemed "Romeroesque" to us for its attention to urgent social issues from the point of view of the Gospel. In recent days, the archbishop has led a campaign against metal mining, collecting signatures, leading a march to the legislature, and even presenting legislation to abolish the practice. «Ustedes También» is perhaps his most radical move: in the true Romeroesque sense, Archbishop Escobar is radical from his orthodoxy. He co-opts new developments in the life of the Church and appropriates them to the traditional and institutional fabric of its history.


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Are social skills a species of hypothesis-testing ("social cognition") as many psychologists seem to think, or are they something intuitive and unconscious? If they involve processing information unconsciously, what sort of information do people use to make these sorts of social assessments? How do we deal with the fact that social skills are necessarily situated in a cultural or subcultural context? A crude example would be a gesture that means something different in two different countries, but many books have been written about expressive and interpretational differences between WASPs and Jews in America, or between men and women within the same culture. Is there some broad set of social skills that exists across culture, gender, age, ethnicity, and personality? Or should we define social skills as the ability to adapt to any new social "culture" within which one comes into contact? If we do (which I think we should), how would we test such flexibility or determine whether a person suspected of ASD lacks it?
Finally--and tied to the preceding point about culture--is there a normative aspect to social skills? i.e., suppose there are two people, Abby and Mitchell, who are both equally good at interpreting others' behavior and projecting the sort of thoughts and emotions that they intend. Abby hates conflict, while Mitchell enjoys argument and debate (they energize him). When Abby and Mitchell get into disagreement with others, Abby will tend to behave in ways that avoid conflict and improve the relationships of the people involved, even if it means her own concerns may not be addressed and her frustration continues. Mitchell will seek out argument when it might be more productive to pick his battles. Both of these approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, but how does one determine which is the more "socially skilled" response? If "social skills" are judged by the ability to make people comfortable and have harmonious relationships, Abby will seem more socially skilled. If "social skills" are judged by the ability to achieve one's goals, then either one may seem more socially skilled, depending on whether Abby succeeds in avoiding conflict and Mitchell succeeds in not antagonizing important people in his life. Personally, I think true "social skills" are not normative, but the normative aspect necessarily comes in for parents and teachers when they try to teach a child with ASD how to behave towards others, and is often overlooked.
My biggest misgiving, however, is that a lot of evidence suggests that neurotypicals (NTs), the supposedly "socially skilled" group, really don't have particularly great "mind-reading" abilities. That is, their interpretations of others' thoughts and feelings, and the reasons for their behavior, are usually wrong. For instance, we have a systematic bias to see ourselves in more detail than others see us, and others in less detail than they see themselves. This may affect the attributions we make in explaining others' behavior. And consider the following, from this article:
Strangers (who are videotaped and later report their second-by-second thoughts and feelings, as well as their assessments of their counterpart's thoughts and feelings) read each other with an average accuracy rate of 20 percent. Close friends and married couples nudge that up to 35 percent. And "almost no one ever scores higher than 60 percent," reports psychologist William Ickes, the father of empathic accuracy, who is based at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Furthermore, "past research has shown, for example, that people often do little better than chance when it comes to accurately identifying those who find them attractive, intelligent, or likeable."
Research on the mind-reading abilities of NTs consistently finds that they are biased because they have an egocentric perspective. And yet, most of the time, the average NT manages to make friends, find and keep a romantic partner, get through a job interview well enough to get a job, and get along with coworkers well enough to keep a job. I don't think this is because any but the most perceptive NTs have a particular knack for understanding others' thoughts or feelings, either on an intuitive or an intellectual level. Like people with ASD, they are stuck in their own heads all the time. The difference is that the majority of people think, feel, and express themselves similarly enough that they can guess accurately--at least, up to 35% of the time, which apparently is good enough. When they meet NTs of other genders, personalities, cultures, or nationalities, they stumble a bit, but after all, "it's a small world after all," the fundamental neurology is largely similar, so after some false starts, most can learn to "translate" from one social language to the other.
What makes people with ASD--at least, the "higher functioning ones"--different from NTs is that, from basic sensory processing on up, their brains don't work the same way. They feel the same emotions in different situations and use different body language to express them. They find very different things interesting or motivating. The differences are real, and so vast that a person with ASD may see himself, and be seen by NTs, as being from another planet. Conversation depends on common ground and there is very little common ground. The difference may be great enough that, without any difference in either social skills or egocentric perspective, people with ASD cannot learn to translate.
The evidence for this view is that NTs are often no better at understanding people with ASD than people with ASD are at understanding NTs. If NTs were really better at translating from one very different "social language" to another, that would not be the case.
I know, the idea that NTs have as big a stumbling block as people with ASD in their mutual interactions is probably shocking and seemingly unlikely, especially if you yourself are NT. But consider the autistic blogger ballastexistenz's description of what she, and NT members of the MIT Media Lab, observed when they watched the "Autism Every Day" video:
instead of watching it straight through, we stopped it and focused on the social behavior of the children in the video, and the parents in the video. The interesting part to me was that the social behavior of the children was not only often invisible to their parents, but often invisible to the people who worked at the Media Lab as well. I had to point out to them things like one child speaking to her mother and inquiring about her mother's emotional state, another child's affection, another child looking up at his mother's face to gauge her feelings. We concluded that somehow through the camera person focusing on the mothers, combined with the mothers focusing on the camera people, the viewer's focus was not on the social overtures of the children, who were then possible to describe as not engaging in social overtures even when they were very clearly affectionate, social, and concerned with their parents' feelings.Ballastexistenz points out that the sort of overtures NT parents expect from their children are a sensory nightmare for children with ASD. Eye contact is often uncomfortable and overwhelming, making it hard to think. As this blogger puts it, "Imagine growing up somewhere where to be hit upside the head and locked in a room with a large predatory animal are the two highest forms of affection, and your emotional development is gauged on how well you learn to put up with those situations. To people who experience certain kinds of touch as pain and eye contact as a predator-style threat, that is some part of our experience growing up." This may sound melodramatic if you've never experienced it, but many first-hand reports by people with ASD experience similar discomfort (for instance, see here and here).
So again, how do we measure innate level of social skill in this context? This is a context where autistic people's parents are somehow (possibly by training from doctors, possibly through instinctively looking for a different set of social cues than the ones we use, possibly because of some other construction they have in their heads that overrides what's in front of them) clearly not noticing our social approaches or our concern for them.
Lastly, if people with ASD were truly "mind-blind," they would not even be able to understand one another because they would, like children who fail to pass the false belief test, assume everyone else had exactly the same knowledge they did, whether autistic or NT. But, at least according to self-report, they can have comfortable, rewarding interactions with other people with ASD. Same principle as NT-to-NT socializing: we understand those who are like us, with whom we share common ground.
Given both the extreme sensory differences of people with ASD and the rather profound lack of social skills shown by the supposedly normative NTs, theories of autism based primarily on social symptoms are misleading.