networking
 

I don't do anything. Tivo downloads television schedules, show synopses, software updates and scans for changes in the channel lineup. Before I got the wireless network, my Tivo was connected through a phone line, which was a pain in the ass because of the wire. The Tivo modem used to conflict with the DSL modem. Half the time the automatic download didn't work and I had to do it myself. Now it's all done through the wireless network every day, and I don't even notice it.

networking
 

Thanks, all!

Now, after buying a shitload of computer equipment and getting the network up and running, I'm going to add a TIVO to the list
for my favorite overweight gift giving holiday troll.

And, points to the folks who recommended reading material to me over and above quasi-human telephonic contact.

Happy GwffGwff.

networking
 

I should have said "enable to happen" or something. Gotcha. Thanks.

networking
 

"Should have written," not "said." This is a written medium. Moron.

networking
 

Capitalize at the beginning of a sentence. Idiot.

networking
 

I have to speak out loud when I read and write, so I get confused easily. My apologies.

networking
 

It checks more frequently for programming updates. Now, also, Tivo Media is available (that's not hte right name, but it's something like that) for free. That allows you to
a) program your tivo online (working late?)
b) share music files on your computer through Tivo
c) share photo files on your computer through tivo.

So, you can use Tivo as a media center if connected to your stereo and (duh) your tv.

Finally, if you get a second tivo, for $6.95/mo. you can transfer shows between the two units. My understanding is that on a wireless network you can't do transfers in real time, but on a solid wired network you can do realtime, or a bit faster, meaning no advanced thought is necessary, and you can still skip commercials.

Ipod
 

OK, I am sitting in the Apple store for the next hour waiting at the Genius Bar becauuse my damn ipod stopped working. First it started freezing while playing songs, Then, after I did a restore, it started freezing when I tried to load the songs. I did system restores, ipod restores, changed cables, drivers, uninstalled and reinstalled drivers, software, etc.

PS, my wife calls:

"The computer isn't working"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing happens"
"What does that mean," I asked
"Well, nothing happens," she said.
"Does the power go on?"
"Yes," she said.
"WHEN DOES NOTHING HAPPEN" I asked.
"When I click on internet explorer nothing happens"

"You have to turn it off and wait 'til a man gets home."

Ipod
 

Before you go home, tell her to call Comcast first.

Ipod
 

Karl Hungus photo in 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . .

Ipod
 

Well, nice try but she does know that Cablevision provides our service.


Computer
I called my son back. He rebooted it and everything was fine.


Ipod
Well, the genius at the Genuis Bar really was a genius in customer service. They probably looked up how much I spent at Itunes and gave me a new one.

Genius bar
 

The genius bar is great, and it's a great idea.

In other Apple new, I was reading that Apple is selling 8 million iPods a year. At an average price (my guess) of $350, that's like $2.8 billion dollars a year, right? Jesus. Looking at AAPL and SBUX just fucking kills me. Those look like absolute no-brainers now. TASR, too. Damnit. This is why I'll be a working stiff until I can finally knock dtb up.

Known, knock, what's the difference?

networking
 

If you can easily drop networking cable from whereever your router/hub is going to be to the other rooms, I'd recommend you do it. Then do wireless in addition, for the freedom of roaming around with your laptop.

I'm an early-adopter computer geek, and have been happy with wireless networking for several years. Until recently, when 3 of my neighbors also got hooked up with SBC wireless routers. My wired network connection, in my office at the router, is just fine, but my wife's wireless connection on the other side of the house has problems every night or two. And of course, any time she can't connect, it's immediately and necessarily my headache.

Each time that's happened, it's because each of the other neighboorhood connections is active and coming into my house strongly, interfering with her connection (as I'm sure we're interfering with theirs). I keep my network secure, so I'm not worried about security issues, it's just a pain in the butt when the interference screws up her connection, either slowing it to a crawl or stopping it completely. Part of the problem is that she likes her system in the sunroom, which is more open to neighboorhood signals than our own signal, which has to travel through several walls.

At any rate, I'll be dropping cable to her system shortly. If I were building a new house, I'd wire everything, and have a wireless network for the times I bring my work laptop home. Wireless is great and flexible, but it will be more problematic as it becomes more pervasive.

XM
 

Sorry if this has been covered - I don't typically read this thread.

I'm thinking about getting the Mr. XM Sat. Radio for Xmas. Does anyone have it, like it?

What's the difference between the Roady2 and the Sci/Fi gadgets? The Roady2 goes in the car as is (no other gadgets to buy, right?) and the other thingy goes in the Boombox that you buy seperately - is this right? Can you use the Sci/Fi thing without the boombox somehow? How is the reception on either of them?

I want to get one or the other to see if he even likes it (I'm sure he will), so which is better to start with? He has a long commute, but also lives in his office, so it's a toss up if I have to choose either car or office use.

Lastly, the basic subscription covers mostly everything, right. What do you get with the "premium" stations - is it worth it? Do you get the baseball games on the basic package?

Thoughts?

networking
 

Interesting. What's the approximate range? I'm lucky at the moment, in that my immediate neighbors are clear nonadopters (read: old people) but the rest of the neighborhood, the folks my age with kids, tend to be very wired techie types. So if I have some heavy duty power users two to three hundred feet away, is it close enough for interference? No sunrooms in the place - the exterior of our whole house is 8 inch heavily insulated construction without unusual sizes or numbers of windows.

I've ordered the Linksys system for networking, because I have comcast and it seemed to be the choice on the local comcast networking chat board. My new computers should be showing up by my Gwfgwf, and I'm getting Networking for Dummies to help me out here. But dropping wires is still a possibility and wouldn't be that difficult.

networking
 

I have lived in a few different multi-unit buildings where there are tons of "adopters" because we are all young, urban and hip and have not noticed a problem with speed. I may just be stooopid, but DSL seems awfully popular in large, densely populated areas for this to be a major concern in the large-minimum-lot-size burbs.

networking
 

Mine is a burb with small lots and big houses, but, still, if there's not a problem in a multi-unit apt. building and I've already bought the stuff, I'm going to hook it up and play for a few months before worrying about wiring.

Coming soon to you pocket
 

The iPhone. Looks like the oft-rumored Apple cell phone might become a reality.

spree: forbes.com

ignore
 

Mods please delete.

GPS
 

Ok, I haven't decided what gadget or gadgets to get, but am wondering whether anyone has any self-standing GPS units they want to share information about.

I like this one, because it is small and cheap, but it may have too little memory.
http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/75/37/59...76_215X215.jpg

Coming soon to you pocket
 

Would be slick. I was thinking last week, when juggling a phone, palm and Ipod that the person who invents one user-friendly device to contain all three things will have life dicked.

New from Ipod
 

New signature Ipod (in case you don't really like U2.)
New signature Ipods

GPS
 

I have the Magellan RoadMate 700 (it's not as sexified as it sounds):

http://www.american-tiger.com/Produc...v/rmtee700.jpg

I like it, because it has all USA maps in HD memory; no dicking around with downloading or "managing" maps in flash memory with your PC. The maps are pretty good, and it has a cool feature where if you miss a turn or otherwise ignore its directions, it will simply re-map to your destination from your current location. Keep taking wrong turns, and it will just keep recalculating the route. (My wife says I'm more likely to listen to the female spoken word if it comes from a machine.)

Only downside is that it's not handheld --- it needs a separate DC power supply, so you'll be leaving it in your car. If you're into geocaching or any of that hiking shit, look elsewhere.

Bose Sound Dock
 

It's freaking incredible. The richness and range is what you expect from Bose. The incredible thing is the separation in a unit that's maybe 12 inches wide, with both sets of drivers virtually next to each other. My component system in the basement is looking a bit sheepish the last couple of days.

Ipod
 

Maybe I'll get some money back.

SAN FRANCISCO - An unhappy iTunes online music store customer is suing Apple Computer Inc., alleging the company broke antitrust laws by only allowing iTunes to work with its own music player, the iPod, freezing out competitors, court filings showed.

The suit was filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court in San Jose. One antitrust expert called it a long shot, but Californian Thomas Slattery is hoping for unspecified damages for being "forced" to buy an iPod, one of the most successful electronics products in years.

"Apple has unlawfully bundled, tied, and/or leveraged its monopoly in the market for the sale of legal online digital music recordings to thwart competition in the separate market for portable hard drive digital music players, and vice-versa," the suit charged.

Apple's online music store uses a different format for songs than Napster, Musicmatch, RealPlayer and others. The rivals use the MP3 format or Microsoft Corp.'s WMA format while Apple uses AAC, which it says helps thwart piracy.

While songs saved in the AAC format can be saved in the MP3 format and played on virtually any digital music player, songs bought from the iTunes music store have an added software tag, which Apple calls FairPlay DRM, or digital rights management, added to the file that contains the song.

Bose Sound Dock
 

Thanks for the info. Santa brought me an iPod for Festivus and I was just surfing the Bose website for info on the Sound Dock. Looks like I'll be making a trip to the Bose store at the outlet mall this weekend.

Further question
 

I also received an Ipod from Santa for gwifgwif. The headphones are crap. However, the Sony headphones that I used on my portable CD sound harsh and screechy on the Ipod. Must be a bizarre equalization thingy with the Ipod. Anyone find a decent portable headphone to go on this thing? I have some nice Sennheisers at home, but this is for dragging around on the Bart and on the plane.

Oh, and by the way, the airport at Phoenix is still crap. Weather in Phoenix and Chicago caused me to sit in the airport (and drain the Ipod) for 4 hours last night. Only Green Day made it better.

Further question
 

Have you tried playing with the EQ settings on the iPod?

Ipod
 

Pick up the next penny you see on the street instead of waiting for this dog to pay out. Better return.

Bose Sound Dock
 

Do. I love it. Sound is great and you can easily move it from room to room, it's the perfect iPod accessory.

Further question
 

You mean I have to read the manual?

Bose Sound Dock
 

Huh. The genius (or whatever they call their hipster, slacker sales force) at the Apple Store I visited while taking a deposition out of town in November called the Bose dock "an over-priced piece of crap," and told me that the cheaper, smaller JBL circlular docking thingy produced a far better sound. So Santa bought the JBL for the Not Bobette, and she loves it.

Further question
 

What manual? Scroll down to settings-->EQ, and choose from about 20. I found that bass booster raised the bass on the stock headphones to an acceptable (i.e., almost normal) level.

Further question
 

Cool. Maybe I can use my old Sonys, but I still want better headphones. The old Sonys are almost toast and barely stay on anymore. And I hate earbuds. They're irritating as hell, but at least the Sony earbuds were small enough to fit and not fall out. Apple's earbuds are too big for me. Any suggestions?

Bose Sound Dock
 

I saw the JBL circular docking thingy on Amazon, but there were no reviews. No reviews at cnet either.

Further question
 

Bose Sound Dock
 

The universal slam on Bose was that someone, somewhere, does what they do better and does it for less.* But I'm not sure this is necessarily a reason not to buy Bose --- it's like someone telling you not the buy the BMW, because in a room of ten people, five say "BMW," one says "Audi," another "Benz," the third "Porsche," the fourth "Jag," and the last "Lincoln Continental." Sure, you could buy the Audi and pay less for a qualitatively better product, but do you really want to live with the uncertainty of casting your fate to the five people who don't agree on exactly which product is superior and better priced?

The only Bose product I own are the QuietComfort II 'phones. Someone on this board will tell me I could have paid less for something that cost $75 to $100 less that does the same job, but the brand premium I paid does not feel like wasted money to me.

*Note: Not Does It for Less. That's the other board.

Bose Sound Dock
 

We have the Altec Lansing model. Sounds good and was one of the few that would dock both my mini and Mr Man's regular ipod when we were looking (but for the record, Atticus, I have an Audi; and I do own a Bose product or two, including the stereo in my Audi). that is all.

Bose Sound Dock
 

After checking out the iPod lounge, I'm going to the Apple store this weekend for some comparison shopping. They raved about the JBL Creatures but I live in a really small condo and would prefer a 1 piece unit rather than 3 pieces.

Any comments on Macalley products? I was looking at car chargers. Their's was half the price of the Belkin. For the record, said car charger would be used in my Jeep, but I would love an Audi.

Bose Sound Dock
 

I was also looking at the ALtec, which the Apple genius said was also better than the Bose. He asked if the Not Bobette listened to hip-hop, and when I said that she did, he told me to get the JBL because its "bottom-end" was better. The "top-end" on the Altec is better than the JBL, said the genius.

So, I guess it depends on whether you are a breast or ass/legs fan.