Horrible, horrible news today. Apparently XM is having some serious problems with one or both of its satellites.
I first noticed a problem in the car when the signal became unusually sensitive to overhead obstructions. Then when I got home and walked into the apartment, there was total silence. This is unusual, because I usually leave my stereo on for the benefit of the cats (Hey, what's with all the snickering?). It turned out that I had no XM reception indoors whatsoever. The windowsill where I had my indoor antenna was completely dead.
A quick check of Google News revealed a couple of sites (Engadget.com; OpEdNews.com) reporting XM signal problems all around the country. There's nothing about the situation on XM's own site, but reader comments on those other sites suggest either that one the satellites is down, or that a software update went awry.
One of the other news items said that XM was to launch a new channel today dedicated entirely to coverage of the upcoming presidential race. My personal guess is that somehow that didn't go as planned and took down their entire system. If that does turn out to be the case, I feel comfortable blaming the entire thing on President Bush.
I first noticed a problem in the car when the signal became unusually sensitive to overhead obstructions. Then when I got home and walked into the apartment, there was total silence. This is unusual, because I usually leave my stereo on for the benefit of the cats (Hey, what's with all the snickering?). It turned out that I had no XM reception indoors whatsoever. The windowsill where I had my indoor antenna was completely dead.
A quick check of Google News revealed a couple of sites (Engadget.com; OpEdNews.com) reporting XM signal problems all around the country. There's nothing about the situation on XM's own site, but reader comments on those other sites suggest either that one the satellites is down, or that a software update went awry.
One of the other news items said that XM was to launch a new channel today dedicated entirely to coverage of the upcoming presidential race. My personal guess is that somehow that didn't go as planned and took down their entire system. If that does turn out to be the case, I feel comfortable blaming the entire thing on President Bush.
In the meantime, without my satellite radio, I have been reduced to living like some sort of savage. I kind of feel like those cavemen in the Geico commercials.
0 thoughtful ramblings:
Post a Comment