Cal Band Halftime Show

This is pretty cool if you get the references... Almost makes me wish that I had gone to a real college and done something with my life.

Global Insecurity

Mac users beware! Your false sense of security is soon to be ripped away by the misfortune of Apple's success.

In other words: prepare for mainstream virus and malware attacks!

DVR Shootout Update & Conclusion

As mentioned previously... I'm taking a look at the differences between TiVo and Microsoft's Windows Media Center.

First Impressions
In terms of the unboxing experience, the TiVo box wins hands-down. There's no keyboard, mouse or other extraneous accessories that need to be hooked up. Audio can be run through a receiver or directly to the TV.

In terms of fit and finish, I'm going to say that this is up for grabs. The TiVo comes in a beautiful case but it's effectively a single purpose appliance that wouldn't be out of place in any home theater set up. A well made home theater PC (HTPC) can also be made to fit into a living room but it typically runs into a number of issues that prevent it from being an ideal addition to your television room.

Getting Started
Once everything's plugged in, I found that the TiVo interface was very easy on the eyes and fairly intuitive. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near as intelligent as Microsoft's. Case in point:
TiVo asked me to input my ZIP code then I had to wait as it pulled down the list of available television sources. After what seemed like a couple of minutes, it then asked me to select who my source was (in my case, cable). Finally, the TiVo box began the process of downloading and building the TV guide. As an added bonus, if you have a simple setup (TiVo + TV), the TiVo remote is pre-programmed with many different manufacturers' codes allowing you to control your TV's power and volume from a single remote.

Windows Media Center accomplishes the above in a similar manner, however because the experience was seamless, it came across as far more efficient and effective. One big miss: The standard Windows Media Center remote isn't a universal remote but can control the audio levels coming from your HTPC.

The User Interface
TiVo has done a good job of making sense of things as activities and things to do: Now Playing contains your downloads and recorded shows. Watch Live TV takes you straight to what's on and users can even stream music from Live365 to their TiVo box and into their television or home theater. TiVo has done a great job and includes advertising for broadcasters and media companies to inform users of upcoming shows or events. Additionally, because they are able to collect your viewing information, they can also record shows that may be of interest to you.

Windows Media Center breaks things down into categories: My TV. My Music. Online Showcase. It's not the most efficient use of UI but it is pleasant to use and, again, represents a very efficient and effective means of interfacing with your media.

The Experience
TiVo... It's been a good experience so far. As a DVR, there's no lag when changing channels. Shows that are recorded can be transferred to your PC or laptop to save storage space on the DVR and for viewing when you're not at home. It doesn't have all of the rich multimedia capabilities of a Windows Media Center but what it does, it does extremely well! My few gripes include that I haven't discovered a way to have the TiVo start recording 2 minutes before a show begins and end 3 minutes after a show ends (a default in Windows Media Center). TiVo will also prompt you during commercials (if you're actually watching them) if there are upcoming shows that you would like to record. A very nice add-on feature. Another complaint is that the TiVo attempts to anticipate what shows I would like to have it record and it begins filling up the hard drive with those shows. While I may come across as ungrateful, I would like to state that I prefer to choose what shows I record and watch. Users can change this option in their TiVo settings.

With a HTPC, you aren't limited in your storage choices and can add as many hard drives as you like to accommodate your needs. The HTPC can replace a number of components in your home theater: a DVR, a DVD player, an HD-DVD player (available in select HTPCs) and more. Windows Media Center is extensible with a wide variety of third-party applications and services. One of my favorites is AOL Radio which gives users with an AOL screen name (free) the opportunity to listen to a large number of streaming radio stations including a selection of XM radio stations.

Conclusion
I've packed up my HTPC and placed it upstairs. Instead of operating as the keystone of my living room, it's been relegated to acting as a Windows Media Center server and I'll use the XBOX 360 as a Media Center Extender (which actually doesn't allow for streaming of XM stations). Why? Well, to be honest, a PC in a living room isn't for everybody. More importantly, the noise generated by a PC in the living room isn't for ANYBODY. And that is the real reason why I've decided to keep the TiVo and use the HTPC as a fallback with its larger storage capacity.

TiVo vs. Windows Media Center Edition

Sometimes, you just have to wonder... Can Microsoft pull off the impossible? (Or is that just me?)

I got a great deal on a new Series2 dual tuner TiVo box. Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to carefully examine whether it's all it's cracked up to be or whether or not Microsoft may be on to something...

Pogue: Windows Doesn't Steal from Mac OS

We report, you decide.

NOTE: His video was meant to be 100% sarcastic!

Bring On The Music!

I've decided to try something new... Rhapsody offers $15 a month for "unlimited" music. Basically, you can download and listen to their collection of millions of songs on your Windows PC. Included in the monthly fee is the ability to download that music and take it with you.

Now, I have the choice of thousands of artists, records and playlists and can take it with me any time.

Ever Wonder...?

Ever wondered what goes on underneath the cursor on your screen? Click here to find out!

The Internet Is Used For Porn?

What's next? I'm going to find out that that moon landings were faked and that The A-Team wasn't a documentary!?

I Also Want A New TV

I'm also in the market for a new TV. Most likely it will feature DLP technology from Texas Instruments. Why DLP? The screens are larger for your money's worth and they use less energy than comparably sized plasma (and even LCD) sets.

What's it got to have? I want a couple of HDMI ports (upscaling DVD player & XBOX 360) and a PC input (Windows XP Media Center PC). It's likely going to end up being the Samsung HL-S5679W but it's still too early to say. I've always said that I would buy HD when it was either necessary or when my existing TV stopped working and either one of those events are still a ways off.

I Want A New Camera

I'm thinking that I want a new camera to replace my crappy Nikon Coolpix 4600. Preferably one with good optics, excellent performance and great pricing. The Nikon D40 appears to fit the bill. Playing with it at Best Buy the other day, I discovered that it's highly responsive and meets and/or exceeds what I'm looking for. The only problem? It retails for nearly $600. For that price, I could buy two very good point-and-shoot cameras. I could even buy the nearly equivalent Canon S3 IS which offers excellent zoom capabilities and uses regular AA batteries and save about $250.

What I really like about the D40 is that it gives you extendability into the future because of the ability to swap out the lens. Of course, "glass" gets very expensive very quickly but the included lens should be enough to get me started.

I'm pretty much open to any suggestions and feedback at this point.

Some Thoughts On Windows Vista

Microsoft's new operating system is called Windows Vista. It represents a significant milestone for the software manufacturer.

I've been running it for the past couple of months and have come to a number of conclusions which may shock and awe many of you.

1. Windows Vista is stable. I did not have any issues with the stability of the OS or its components. When an application which had been installed had an issue, it never resulted in my needing to reboot the computer.
2. Windows Vista is slow. I have a cutting edge laptop with dedicated graphics, plenty of memory and more. All of that was useless against Windows Vista which was far less responsive than Windows XP.
3. Windows Vista has some nice features. I did like the fact that search is tightly integrated into the whole UI. I also appreciated the ReadyBoost feature which allows you to use an external memory device to supplement your PC and cache some memory for you. That said, in my experience, it didn't seem to make a difference as I have 2 GB of memory installed already.
4. Windows Vista is pretty. The new Aero Glass user interface is very attractive. It doesn't add any real value to the end user but it's nice to look at.
5. Windows Media Center... I'm a big fan of this application and instead of maintaining a separate OS with this application, it's included in the Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Windows Vista. With a compatible TV tuner/capture device, your computer can act as a DVR and keep you connected to your media.

In conclusion, I think that Windows Vista is an incremental improvement to Windows XP. If you're happy with Windows XP, then you shouldn't bother with the upgrade. Keep in mind that when you buy a new computer, the chances are very good that it's going to come with Vista pre-installed and that's not a bad thing because an older computer just isn't going to be able to handle all of Vista's new capabilities.

Personally, I've already uninstalled Windows Vista and gone back to XP but that's only because I have a handful of applications that aren't compatible with Vista at this time.

Keep The Music Alive!

The Copyright Royalty Board is acting to single-handedly shut down the Internet Radio industry.

Effective July 15th, the CRB is putting into effect rates which will not only place undue stress upon Internet-only broadcasters requiring them to pay per song, per play and by listener. The charges will be retroactive to 2006. This rule will require significant investment by webcasters as well as represents discrimination against a new industry; satellite and terrestrial broadcasters are under no such licensing penalty for streaming. Estimates range from 60% to 300% of webcasters' revenue will go to these new fees.

Contact your representatives, your senators and the CRB. Tell them to support H.R. 2060, The Internet Equality Act, and help keep the music alive!

The XO B2 Laptop

I've been following the One Laptop Per Child Foundation with a lot of interest for the past couple of years.

For $175 a piece, governments will be able to purchase bulk quantities of rugged computers designed to help children collaborate and learn.

To learn more, click here for a recent PC World article.