TiVote

Strange subject... it's a combination of "TiVo" and "vote" - I'll let you guess what this post is about.

The last shall be first: voting. Now, I won't pretend to give you political advice (that's probably worse than my financial advice). Well, not right now, anyway. But I will point out this guy's post... it makes a lot of sense. Nearly pulled straight out of Proverbs 11:14 - "Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers." Just think about it. Think for yourself, and for our nation. A lot depends on it. Don't let someone else make up your mind for you.

Now to TiVo - I'm still struggling with what to do. We're one of what is probably a very small minority of people who (still) use a Series 1 TiVo with a lifetime subscription, and an even smaller percentage who use TiVo with only an over-the-air (OTA) antenna signal. The problem? In 335 days analog broadcasting will be shut off. At that time, my TiVo will be essentially useless, other than to pause what's currently being shown. And that's assuming I get one of the converter boxes, which will be subsidized by the DTV converter box coupons I should receive shortly (subsidized, yes, but the converter box(es) will still not be free, something like $10 to $30 plus tax each for the two on which I can use the coupons). So... my perfectly functional TiVo will become a non-functional TiVo simply because the government wants to reclaim some portion of the Analog TV spectrum.

My TiVo has a lifetime subscription, which is for the lifetime of the TiVo box. Problem is, that will soon no longer be the case - it will be changed to "lifetime of the TiVo box and/or the analog OTA broadcast spectrum." In other words, the government's mandate will cost me my lifetime subscription. I went to the TiVo website, but there is no information there at all concerning DTV converter boxes. What they do offer is for me to purchase a new HDTiVo box ($299), along with offering a lifetime subscription on the new box as a "promotion" (they don't normally offer lifetime subscriptions anymore), at a cost of $399 (60% more than the original lifetime subscription cost back in 2002, which was a gift). In other words, I can keep my "lifetime TiVo subscription" active for $700 (admittedly, with new features in the newer model TiVo). Say what? My "lifetime" subscription is going to cost me another $700 in order to keep it active simply because of the switch from analog to digital broadcast? Something doesn't seem right about this whole thing... I'd consider trying to initiate a class action lawsuit, but I don't know how many others there would be in my "class" (OTA Series 1 or Series 2 TiVo subscribers). That, and I don't know how to initiate a class action lawsuit in the first place. :)

Oops...

Stupid, stupid! I just accidentally ate a pint of vanilla ice cream (after having seconds on dinner, mind you). It was "my" ice cream, so I just grabbed the container and a spoon, but never quite stopped to put it back in the freezer before it was all gone. Oops. Oh well...

I'm watching Survivor right now. The problem I have with Survivor is the name... they change it every season. For example, this season it's Survivor: Micronesia-Fans vs. Favorites - the key part being "Survivor: Micronesia." Why is that a problem? TiVo doesn't recognize it as the same as previous seasons. Meaning my "Season Pass" doesn't carry over, and if I forget to set it up, it won't record it for me. Thus I often miss the season premiere of the new season of Survivor. Stupid TiVo, or maybe stupid CBS. Or maybe stupid me for not setting it up, but I don't want to admit this point, so I'll blame TiVo and CBS.

So, does anyone know if older (Series 1) TiVos will work with the forthcoming DTV converters (I have already ordered my DTV converter box coupons)? I hate to think that I'm going to lose the usefulness of my lifetime TiVo subscription because of the government's changing of the over-the-air broadcast television spectrum. Maybe it's time to consider a class-action lawsuit against the government over this (I wonder if there are enough over-the-air TiVo subscribers to qualify as a "class" for a "class action lawsuit")... especially since TiVo no longer offers lifetime subscriptions. (I know, I know, MythTV or BeyondTV or something... but I've already paid for - well, my dad paid for, and gave to me as a gift - a TiVo lifetime subscription.) I mean, I've already patched my TiVo hardware - the internal modem was fried by lightening, so I hooked up an external modem (haven't bothered to get a network card to put it on my home network) via the strange serial connection it provides. Hey, Carter... is Canada following suit on the Digital TV conversion in February, 2009? Maybe I should just move to Canada... I assume TiVo works there...

Agh! I'm getting frustrated by all this "internet advertising"... I just wanted to look up an area code that showed up on my caller ID (it was a Maine, 207, area code; not sure why someone's calling me from Maine), so I went to this page (from a Google search: area code lookup), entered 207, and was taken to an advertisement (with a little "skip" link on the upper right corner). I'm seeing similar things on the CNet website... really irritating. I know they have to make money with advertising, but they really don't have to be so obnoxious about it, do they?

And now I'm watching some (animated? irritating? strange? mentally disturbed? I don't know what adjective to use here...) girl on "Don't Forget the Lyrics"... where do they find these people for these game shows? I can't imagine they'd ever pick me for such a show... I'm just not animated enough, I think.

Ok, Wikipedia... this video from "The Office" (featuring Steve Carell - I'm looking forward to Get Smart - does anyone else remember The Nude Bomb?) says it all:



Yeah, that's all he has to say about that. I love that clip. And I love wikipedia (why don't I marry it, then? because I'm already happily married, thanks!). Seriously, though... it's a community-peer-reviewed information source, so while not necessarily 100% accurate, it's generally fairly credible. And it's quick, and typically quite comprehensive.

We were supposed to go get our new (to us) van today, but they weren't finished detailing it, and it will be tomorrow before it's ready for us. Argh! My impatience is flaring up again... one of my greatest spiritual gifts, I think (along with criticism and pride...). Heh-heh, kidding, of course... those are a few of the areas where I need probably the most work - I am working on those areas. Sometimes.

Ack... this girl on "Lyrics" is driving me crazy... but maybe it's me (it's I? I think "I" is correct here, but I'm leaving "me" anyway, sorry), not her (she?)...

MMMmmm... beef jerky!

I admit it: I'm a beef jerky addict. I'll eat it until my jaws and cheeks hurt from the chewing, and then I'll eat some more. That, and Sprees (red are my favorite, followed closely by purple; on Saturday I got a pack that had three reds in a row - it was awesome!). I could live on beef jerky, sprees, and Coke Zero. And maybe crab legs, the only food I'll really "work" for. Ribs? too much work for too little reward, in my opinion; that, and messy (ok, crab legs are messy, too, but I'm willing to get messy then). I probably would not have made a good caveman - I prefer eating with a fork and spoon, thank you very much. Things on the bone - ribs, chicken, etc. - not my deal (in fact, I have, on occasion, asked my wife to remove the chicken meat from the bone on a chicken leg...). Pork chops are OK, since I can pull the meat away from the bone nice & easily with a fork (or cut it away with a knife). Actually, I like pork chops, with some nice potato salad and baked beans.

Anyway, back to beef jerky... I just finished a large package of Oh Boy, Oberto! Sesame Ginger beef jerky... yum! (Got in trouble for eating the whole package - I think my wife wanted some; but that's the problem with beef jerky - once opened, the contents are eaten until gone, non-stop.) Had some buffalo jerky a couple of weekends ago, that was good, too. Anyway, here's a question: if your cow had muscle spasms, would it make good beef jerky? :) I'm working on a book of all-original jokes, like that one. I'll keep you updated on the book's progress periodically, and perhaps throw in a teaser or two.

Ah well, about to watch a little TV... TiVo has to be one of the greatest inventions ever. Oddly, we have TiVo, but only an over-the-air antenna. Guess we're going to be one of the families that has to upgrade to an HD receiver when they start handing out the coupons in 2008. If you don't know about that, and don't already have cable or satellite, go here for more info - your analog TV won't work without a set-top converter after February 17, 2009. Of course, if you have cable or satellite, you probably don't have to worry about this (unless you also have an analog TV elsewhere in your house that gets over-the-air antenna broadcasts; you'll need a converter for those).

Enough for now... the TV show has started (yes, it's TiVoed, and I can watch it anytime, but the wife is in charge of the remote right now, and it might be rude to ask her to keep it paused while I'm writing all this gibberish).

MMMmmm... beef jerky..... now I just need some Sprees...