6
Oct

The Personal Video Recorder, DIY TIVO.

   Posted by: Warren   in Front Page, LinkedIn, PVR, Reviews

For a number of years I have been playing with software and hardware combinations that convert or make a PC display and record live TV. These programs also add control options to the viewer so that like the TIVO, you can record and watch things later, pause and resume in real-time along with other features and tricks that makes the old ‘watching programmed TV’ fun again.

TIVO has become really popular because it takes the ‘programming’ out of serial TV transmitting, life is more dynamic now, I want to be out having a late dinner at 8:30, not at home watching a movie then and there. I might be a shift-worker or busy on the internet, I want TV to be available when I want it, not when the station executives and their advertisers expect me to watch it.

For the last few years there has been an influx of add-in cards for PC’s that allow you to watch and record TV on your PC. Anything from $35 will get you one and they work. Many now operate using the full Digital TV transmitted by a land based tower, DTV-T (Digital Tele-Vision – Terrestrial) or DTV-S (Satellite). Either way, on your PC you can watch or record TV, but it’s a cute idea only, in practice you don’t want to watch TV on your PC much, your lounge chairs are in another room, the screen is too small, it’s just not right. But we do have a solution…

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25
Sep

Excessive use of the word ‘update’

   Posted by: Warren   in Front Page, Observations

To check for updates, you must first install an update for Windows Update. Your automatic updating settings will not change. To install the update, Windows Update will automatically close and re-open.

Need I say more?

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3
Sep

The First Google Chrome Experience

   Posted by: Warren   in Front Page, Observations, Reviews

On my way in this morning, on the bus I checked, after all the reports still no sign of Google Chrome, it was supposed to be here but alas noting to look forward to on my last day in at work before some much needed holidays.

I have been reading about this new browser for the last couple of days, and most of the development was delivered in a 35 page story in comic form detailing all the ideas and processes that lead to the new program. It interested me and I couldn’t wait for the release today.

image

Then I got to my desk, one more check… Wow, the page is now there and the program is ready for download. So that’s exactly what I preceded to do and my first are impressions are as follows…

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25
Jul

Beat that train, Peddle that bus

   Posted by: Warren   in Fix it, Front Page, Observations, Transport

What a liberty…

The Connex group who has the primary contract for running metropolitan railways services here in Melbourne, after months of discussing options on how to ferry more passengers, after amending their timetables to help just a little, who back-stepped on rejecting bicycles on trains, who haven’t yet delivered on their promise to remove seats and call commuters land sardines, have now come up with a brilliant plan to make rail commuting a wondrous thing…

They are going to change the seat covers.

Yes, bright new seat covers to some 43,000 seats are going to make the conditions better. No more sitting on torn seats, or ones with holes, they will now be comfortable, at least to those who can actually get a seat, we still have many more standing-sardine commuters yet to satisfy. Perhaps some new floor coverings for those on their feet?

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12
May

Leave me alone Safari

   Posted by: Warren   in Fix it, Front Page, Observations, Reviews

I reluctantly caved in today and did the iTunes and Quicktime update that the Adobe update software has been bugging me about for a while now.

Big downloads later and some screen refreshes, all the software that I never use updated.

The updater asked if I wanted to restart, thanks Adobe, this is why I upgraded to Vista so I didn’t have to restart after every application update, and since I am in the middle of doing other things, no I don’t want to restart thanks. Cancel is my option (what ever happened to Yes and No answers to simple questions?), and off goes the program, checking for other updates…

What? Didn’t we just go through this?

Oh yeah, I forgot, another reminder about installing Safari 3.1.1.

No, I don’t want this software, I have unchecked it before, I have IE and I have Firefox thanks, I don’t need another 23Mb of unused crap on my hard disk that I will eventually need to update.

But what got me even more today was the description of this item (See Pic).

OK, looks a little broken, and if they can’t make a read-about-me text file work in their recently updated updater then how can the application be trusted?

imageLook Apple, I don’t want this program, I don’t even want iTunes, I need quicktime only because I have a great olympus camera that records in mov format.

Like the DOJ said to Microsoft, “The People don’t want all these other things included or else you will deemed to be anti-competitive”!

How can one company get away with this when another can not, and has already been convicted and sentenced for doing exactly the same thing?

So now I uncheck the Safari item, the Install button goes gray leaving me with just the ‘Quit’ option. Apple, please add another option for me…

‘Leave Me Alone’ – Save my options and my preferences and close the program so that I am never bothered by your application based spam again please. Is that too much to ask?

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