Who Wants To Be A Superhero?

I like the show because it's the only reality show I know of that, instead of bringing out the worst in people, strives to bring out the best. It's goofy, cringe-inducing, hilarious at times, embarrassing at others... but even with all the fakery and nonsense it's still trying to show the heart of the people competing.

It'll never be my favorite show, but I can certainly bear to watch it.

Digital Cable

Comcast is trying to update all its subscribers to digital one way or another. For us, they offered a "free for one year" deal that upgrades us to digital for a year, with digital music channels and on demand, but none of the other channels. I bit. I mean, it's a decent enough deal, and the small print said that the cost after one year would be $1 more than we are currently paying. I'm willing to accept the risk, especially as I'm keeping all the paperwork.

The digital cable boxes arrived today. The extra TV was easy to hook up. No bizarre extras, nothing special. But the main TV has a TiVo hooked to it, and it was a bit of nightmare to hook it up originally. I had to pull out the TiVo hook-up directions and mess with them for a LONG time to figure out what needed to be done to add a digital box to the set-up. Of particular interest was the need to add IR emitters from the TiVo to the digital box, so the TiVo can control the digital box. I hope. I'm still waiting for the cable to become active so I can test the whole system.

And that's not the only tech fun I'm having today. I also learned how to do the GIMP scripting that I've been whining about. A long post on that subject is coming soon, so I can remember what I did next time I need to try it.

Randoms

Bigfoot found footless.

The Barenaked Ladies on DRM, again. BNL has the most sensible position on the problem I've seen, and as a result I'm staying a fan.

The ALA (American Library Association) released the winners of their various awards. Go check 'em out. I've read at least one of them.

Google Video Link: Turkish Star Wars (1982). I don't think I'm likely to watch the whole thing, but the bits I did check out were amazingly awful. With Google video you can start loading where you put the slider, so go check out random bits.

If you think bunnies are cute and fluffy and innocent... go check this out. Oh. My. I love the narration. Reminds me of my Dad.

I may have linked to this before, but Reason Magazine's write-up on the broadcasting hijack of a Doctor Who story is just too well done to pass up.

DI is trying to go to print. I need to look under the seat of the car, in the couch, and anywhere else there might be loose change to pre-order me a copy of the book.

Rumor mill: Muppet Show Season Two on DVD and more Muppet TV. Rumor alert: Take both links with a grain of salt!

Banning Wikipedia as a citation source. Well, duh. You don't cite any type of encyclopedia in a research paper. Wikipedia is an on-line encyclopedia. It's good for basic overview and as a starting point for looking for more information. But it's a tertiary source at best, and should never be cited in a paper. Unless the paper is about Wikipedia.

Google uses algorithm to defuse Googlebombs. In short, no more Googlebombing. Discussion on Slashdot.

Oh my goodness, it's for real. I thought it was a Daily Show joke. Stephen Colbert is "Z".

I have discovered another reason to love our TiVo. I like watching Olbermann, but can't stand any coverage of American Idol. So now I can wait until Olbermann is half over before I start watching it and fast forward through the ads and the Idol garbage. Very nice.

Linkdump

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #87.

Free Comic Book Day Titles Announced. As usual, I'm going to try to get as many as possible... in part by offering to buy the comics for my retailer (as you may not know, the books are NOT free for retailers) to give out.

The Joker lives in Holland.

Who's watching the watchers?

I just checked out our TiVo account online... and no one has used tiktok at eskimo dot com as a referral, so we have no points. Oh well, I knew it was a long shot anyway. We're still really enjoying having the TiVo, by the way. I'm not really watching more TV, but instead of having some newscast on in the background when I'm doing stuff, I have music videos recorded overnight. I still have the TV off most of the time.

Anti-EULA:

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Happy Birthday to Eric!

Yay! Hey look, your birthday present! A TiVo! I love you hubby-Eric!

Clearly I was unable to post a Ripples yesterday. I will post one tonight. I also plan on using that YouTube account I made to post some of the Pledge Drive from last night. You'll get to see hubby-Eric as "Talent", and Monty the Penguin lose his scarf. I just have to get the vids downloaded and see what we caught on the TiVo.

Many thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday, and to the folks who donated to KBTC through the website during the pledge drive (yes, we noticed!), and especially to the people who called.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yay! I'm 27 again! And spending my day away from the computer. My birthday present from my wonderful hubby-Eric was a TiVo (and that's my present to him, since his birthday is tomorrow). Today I'll be off across the water for the afternoon, then down at the Tacoma PBS station tonight for the Doctor Who pledge drive (we're TiVo'ing it!). I don't know if I'll get home in time to post a Ripples Through Time, so maybe I'll try to get it done in the next two hours before I leave... hmmm...

Links and Friends

Emerald City Comicon gets a little press. It's a great show, I will be attending again this year. Looking forward to meeting Brian Wood.

BIG updates from the former Henchman Publishing, now Do Gooder Press, LLC. In short, PS238 is going monthly, Nodwick is going to back-ups, and PS238 is also coming to the web. Go read the entry for full info, but I'm wishing Aaron Williams lots of luck on this one, and will try to keep mentioning updates as they come. I firmly believe that PS238 is the best superhero book out there right now, and perhaps the best comic out of all that I read.

Another use for TiVo (remember, if you get one, please put tiktok at eskimo dot com in as your referrer and maybe Eric and I will eventually get an upgrade), listening to podcasts about Dorothy. That's right, I put the podcast up on the TiVo and listened to it. No special software required, even.

And lastly, if you have any good thoughts or vibes or even prayers to send, please send them to my friend Leah Adezio. She's in the hospital. Leah was my roommate at the 2000 San Diego Comicon, and she's a big reason I had so much fun. In the following image, Leah is in the upper left (the other folks are John Coates, Nick Cardy, and myself).

Morning Links

Aquaman reference on The Simpsons. Thank you TiVo, for letting me get the exact wording.

Leonard Kirk's Balls Part IX.

Y: The Last Man as a videogame.

The Comic Meme of 2006.

Unshelved is doing a "READ" poster for the ALA. I want. I don't know where I'd put it, but I still want.

I love the word "maturismo" as a description of why some adults snub fantasy.

Before you sign up, think about how hard it can be to cancel those accounts.

Um. Go Seahawks!

So, I watched the game in fast forward last night, like I said. It was actually a pretty exciting game. Very nice of the Cowboys to give us the win. I wish the Seahawks had played it all a bit better, but at least the result gives them another chance to play. The officiating was as bad as last year. In fact, I kind of wonder if they gave the Seahawks this game like they gave the Steelers the win in the Superbowl last year.

I don't expect the Seahawks to get past their next opponent. Both Chicago and New Orleans are strong teams this year, and the 'hawks never pulled it all together. And if the Seahawks end up playing against New Orleans, I might have trouble deciding who to root for (ok, not really, but I like New Orleans this year, so if they play the Seahawks and win, I won't be as disappointed).

Update: They're playing Chicago. I have very low expectations for this one. Go Seahawks, but wow... they're up against it, aren't they?

And, oh yeah, Johnny B called it. I've been forgetting to link to his predictions, but he's still making them, and he's still doing well. Unless I'm much mistaken, he's 4-0 for the weekend.

TiVo Makes Life Catchable

So I was watching the news this morning, half-heartedly as I was busy trying to clean for tomorrow's party as well. A news item came on about people trying to win Seahawks playoff tickets, and I started paying attention. As the reporter was explaining the process, a women behind her won.

I quickly rewound the TiVo, and sure enough, you can see her look of pure surprise and joy as she wins. She was to the far left of the screen, but they caught that moment.

On a whim I decided to test TiVo's functions. I told TiVo to start recording the newscast I was watching, which it did. Then after a few minutes I stopped the recording and downloaded the video. I used some well-known editing tools to cut it down to just the one news segment I was interested in. Then, in a bid to take a longer break from housework, I created a YouTube account and uploaded it.

If you aren't interested in the explanation, skip to about 70 seconds in, and watch the left side of the screen. No, it's not spectacular, but it's fun. And it's a nice little proof-of-concept for me. I'm having fun with my new TiVo.

TiVorific

I can't believe that it's been less than two full days since we got the TiVo. I've already made huge strides in playing with it, and I never want to watch live TV without it again. Of course, I say that as I'm about to install a splitter so we can watch live TV without it.

If I could go back in time and warn myself, I'd suggest getting the dual tuner instead of the single tuner. Of course, the extra $$$ that the DT would have cost would have prevented us from buying the TiVo, so I guess it worked out. But if you have the option, I strongly recommend the dual tuner over a single tuner DVR.

I was asked if I could have made this system myself. Well, yes. With about three months of study time, about twice the dollar value in equipment, and a lot of patience. And we wouldn't have gotten some of the features I'm really liking with TiVo already. It's certainly possible for a tech-savvy person to re-create what TiVo does, but the price of TiVo a non-tech-savvy person is doing very well.

Case in point: I like watching The Daily Show and the Colbert Report in the background just after I wake up. I put them on when I go through my morning e-mail, eat breakfast, that sort of thing. For awhile the morning reruns were scheduled to make that possible for me. Not anymore. But this morning... this morning the TiVo had recorded them, and I was able to watch them like I used to... but I could also fast forward through the commercials. Or rewind to hear something again (there's an "instant replay" button that skips back a few seconds).

Another feature... You all know I like Aquaman. Well, Spongebob Squarepants has an Aquaman character named "Mermaid Man". So I put in a Wishlist on TiVo to look for shows that have "Mermaid Man" in the description. Guess what? It recorded one yesterday for me. One I hadn't yet seen, even!

But wait, there's more! I told you I networked the TiVo with my computer? Well, I installed a neat little app called Galleon. It lets me put video ONTO the TiVo. Say, a promo for Doctor Who that aired on the BCC and was posted to Usenet. I convert it to the right standard for my TV, put it on the TiVo, and we can show it at our next party without having to hook up my husband's computer, the way we've been doing it.

And I can also play music and show photo slideshows on the TiVo from my computer. The only issue with the networked computer is that when my RAM maxes out on my laptop, TiVo loses track of the computer and I have to tell it where to find it again. I can live with that problem, because I don't normally max out my RAM.

All this in less than two days.

So, do I recommend TiVo? Well, I've had it for less than two days, so it's hard for me to give a subjective answer... but Yes, I recommend it. There are flaws, of course, but it's light-years ahead of the VCR we've been using. No need for tapes spread out all over the living room. Simple digital recordings. And being able to pause live TV is such a bonus I don't ever want to go back to the old way.

Now, an offer. If you live in the Seattle area and decide to get TiVo, but have trouble setting it up, please drop me a line. For the price of a pizza dinner (for myself and hubby-Eric) I'll do my best to help you (I'll even come over to your house, if you need me to). And if I can't help, you don't have to provide the pizza. That's how much I like this system.

Also, if you decide to sign up for TiVo, and I influenced you positively in any way, please put hubby-Eric's e-mail address (tiktok at eskimo dot com) in as a reference. I think I've said before that if five people put his e-mail in, we can upgrade to a dual-tuner DVR. There are other "rewards", but that's the one I've got my eyes on. I feel a bit like I'm begging when I ask this, but if you aren't going to get a TiVo it's not going to affect you and if you are going to get one, it's just one tiny extra step.

Oh yeah... people want to know how much it costs. Well, we got ours through a special deal, so I can't tell you how much I paid. However, right now TiVo has a pricing plan that gets you three years of service for $299. Add in the actual TiVo box... say the dual-tuner that we ought to have gotten... $70 on sale from TiVo itself. You can get them cheaper if you look around. I bet a used one would come very cheap. The network adapter was a hit in the pocketbook, at $60 for the one we got. But you can find deals at TiVo Community and other places if you look. Wired network adapters are even cheaper, in the $10 range. Or you can just use a phone line. The initial costs aren't tiny, but so far they've been worth it to me.

So, any questions? Comments? Insults? Praise?

TiVo! Continued

Ug. Wiring took awhile. The back of the TV was a mess of cobweb, and it took me a few minutes to work out which wires were which. The hook-up of the TiVo, very simple hook-up, was easy. Unfortunately, it didn't work. The composite cable sent no signal to the TV. In fact, I still haven't figured out why that is... but because the TiVo folks kindly suggest alternatives, I used the coaxial cable instead and was able to continue. If I want to set up the method to watch another channel while one channel is recording, I've got to get the composite cable working. But for the moment, I'll live with the coaxial.

The network adapter was simple to set up, too. With one USB wire, though, I was expecting that. Once I got to the Welcome screen the set-up proceeded very smoothly. The Guided Setup is braindead simple, and the only hiccup was adding the MAC address of the TiVo network adapter to the access list. It's also easy to add security, with WEP and WPA supported. Once the TiVo connected via our network a couple of times, the whole thing was up and running, with limited capabilities.

Instead of the usual two weeks or so of program guide, the TiVo starts out with just two days. That was enough for me to go hunting for Jeopardy and set it up as a "Season Pass" show. Again, dead simple. This thing is made for the general public, I can tell. Well, once you get past the cables.

I played with the live TV pausing, replay, and rewind. It's pretty fun. I think everyone ought to have this ability... and I think I'm going to get spoiled by it very quickly. There's also a lovely on-screen TV Guide which will also spoil me quickly. I already can't believe I survived without it.

The DVD player and VCR player both still work as expected. Even better, I was able to pipe the signal through the VCR and yet don't have to turn on the VCR like I do with everything else. Boo-yah!

Hmmm, it's possible to restart the TiVo. Maybe that will force an update of the system? Let's try it. Ooooh, yup. It's updating something. Time to play on-line some while waiting for the update to finish.

Playing with the on-line functions... already set-up a bunch of my shows for recording. Heroes, Numb3rs, The Daily Show... This is cool.

Update finished. I've got the latest software. I wonder if that'll fix the problem with the composite cables? I'll try it later, I don't feel like moving the TV again.

Set-up my computer to connect with the Desktop software, and now the TiVo is playing my music on the TV. Ok, I'm even happier. Oops. I turned it off somehow. Less happy. Hmmm. Going to have to troubleshoot. But later, since Jeopardy is about to start, and I'm just not going to mess with the thing at all during the first show it's supposed to record.

Light on the front of the machine went red. I think it's recording. Time to go do other things.

...

Ok, checking the recording. Not bad! Jeopardy for hubby-Eric! But why is it still recording? Oh, I set up The Daily Show, and so it started with the next one shown... right after Jeopardy! Ok. I'm going to post this and go now. Eric should be home soon, and I've got a lot of showing off to do.

One last thing... should you sign up for TiVo, put hubby-Eric's e-mail address (tiktok at eskimo dot com) in as a reference. If five people say we referred them, we could upgrade to a dual-tuner DVR. That would be nice. Especially if my attempts to get the splitter working... don't.

TiVo!

As I waited for the TiVo to arrive this morning, after doing my other netting and chores and such, I decided to figure out how to connect the thing to our morass of a system using TiVo's on-line help and such. I dug out the user manuals for the TV, VCR, and DVD players, and tried to work out how we currently have everything connected. Then I went to the TiVo site and tried to figure out from their help pages what I would need to do.

Confusion.

The instructions on the TiVo site never once mention a DVD player. A little deeper digging and I discover that they expect you to always hook your DVD player directly up to your TV. Hmmm. Odd, but not totally unacceptable. I think the way we currently have our DVD set-up, connected to a different line on the VCR, might still work. Ok. One problem down.

Next issue: the TV doesn't seem to have the same connections as the TV in the TiVo directions. Could be a problem... no... I've found the explanation in the TV's user manual. All the connections are there, just labeled slightly different. Whew.

The TiVo has a composite line in. Does that mean we could hook up a computer to the TiVo, play some video on the computer, and have the TiVo record it? That might be useful for us to free up Eric's computer while we showed the latest meme video from YouTube to friends. Hmmm. A check through the knowledge base says it's possible. I'll have to look at the user guide when the TiVo finally arrives.

We may need to get a splitter for our line so we can watch a different channel while recording something with the TiVo. Now I'm beginning to wish we'd been able to spring for the Dual-Tuner. Those are standard now, on TiVo. We got in on the very last of the non-DT TiVos. Heh. Still, a splitter shouldn't cost too much. Heck, we might even have one lying around if I could find the "box of extra cables"... ah, a search of the pantry finds it. Lots of extra coaxial cable, some composite cables (those might be needed later), and phone stuff. No splitters. Ok, a run to Radio Shack may be in the cards later. But no field trips until I know everything we might need.

Found the bit on the TiVo website about needing a landline: "You can run Guided Setup using your network connection if your DVR has software version 7.2 or later pre-installed." then a little later: "Many new single tuner TiVo DVRs are pre-installed with software version 7.2 or later. The following is a way to determine if your new DVR has software version 7.2 or later already installed before you begin Guided Setup. Look at the orange box your TiVo DVR came in. On the side of the orange box, look for your 12-digit UPC code. If the UPC code has the letters "SS" next to it, your TiVo has been sent to you with the 7.2 software version or later, already installed. You may connect your DVR to your network during Guided Setup." So, when it arrives, look for the double-S.

If it doesn't have a double-S, it's going to be a serious pain to set up. Apparently, the Guided Setup takes awhile to finish, and you can't upgrade the version until the Guided Setup is actually done. Luckily, it doesn't need to be on the phone the entire time, but it may require multiple phone calls, spaced hours apart. Which would be a real pain. So I've got my fingers crossed for the double-S.

It's arrived! It has a double-S! I'm saved! Now I've got to get it set up before Jeopardy comes on, so hubby-Eric doesn't miss it!

TiVo!

Hubby-Eric and I had a little mishap with the VCR a week or so ago, in which it ate his tape of Jeopardy. Eric really enjoys watching Jeopardy, but is generally at work when it's on, so he tapes it, watches it, then tapes over it. Well, the tape he was using got old enough, and the VCR tired enough of it, that it got all chewed up and devoured, and hubby-Eric missed a week of Jeopardy (because we also had to get the rest of the tape out of the VCR). He grumbled that maybe it is time for us to get TiVo.

Flash forward to just before Christmas when our good friend Jen visited and bought us pizza (thank you again, Jen!). We had a merry little night, and I noticed a coupon on the pizza box for TiVo. Normally I wouldn't look twice, but we'd talked about it, so I showed the coupon to Eric, and we popped on-line to look at the deal.

It wasn't bad. For the price of a very nice quality VCR we'd get a TiVo box, wireless adapter, and three years of service. There was one problem, but it isn't unsurmountable (more on that in a second). So we did a bit more research, slept on it, counted up Christmas money... and went for the deal. We don't watch a lot of TV, but we like having flexibility on when we watch what we do watch, and the VCR is getting a bit tired of helping us, so a TiVo makes sense for us.

There are a couple of issues I have with our new little TiVo friend.

First... to install the thing you need a landline phone. We do not have a landline any longer. We went to cell phones and haven't missed the landline at all until now. The installation instructions say you can go to someone else's home to set that up, but you still must have a landline for the initial installation. That's annoying.

The other issue is setting up the wireless. Basically, I really hope I'm up to the task. I have my router filtering by MAC address at the moment, so I hope the wireless adapter has a MAC address I can use.

Anyway, I'm blogging about this mostly in the hopes that somebody out there has some links to TiVo support sites and such so I can learn how to get the most out of the little thing. Any advice? Any thoughts? Anyone even reading right now, or is everyone off on holiday?