Author: RTOlson

After only having my TiVo Digital Video Recorder for about two weeks, I’ve managed to break the darn thing. I swear it wasn’t my fault — I was watching a classic episode of X-Play when the screen froze. It could’ve been a momentary hiccup, but it turned out to be alot more.

After a few minutes, the unit was pretty much non-responsive to the remote control. Restarting the beast, which previously solved the TiVo’s ailments, didn’t work despite my repeated efforts. Instead of the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” that haunted old PCs, I was struck with the Grey Screen — a cheery greeting saying that television goodness was just around the corner but perpetually frozen.

In the back of my mind, I was cursing my eternal cheapness (the unit was factory refurbished), and that TiVo was going to have to send me a replacement unit.

Although the phone call to technical support was long — I was waiting for at least 45 minutes — the people on the other end of the phone were very professional. I was also struck by how devoted TiVo fans they seemed to be — the first woman Sandy mentioned how she couldn’t live without her TiVo and soap operas. The technician mentioned how he has four units (three were refurbs coincidentally).

While I think the TiVo is very nice, it’s really just a more convenient way of watching TV. I like the fact that TiVo automatically recorded my favorite shows all the time, but it’s just TV nonetheless.

In the end, TiVo is going to have to send me a new unit (which should be here soon). As my abbreviated love affair with TiVo is about to resume, I’ve learned some interesting things about my viewing habits.

Huzzah! For all those thinking that my professional Web site may never be done, I’ve got a preview of things to come:

It’s still very much in development, but I think I’ve got the layout and the image style that I want. It’s not the latest, greatest in Web design, but I think it’s good enough.

My goal is to keep my pro page separate from the (not-so-very) personal Web site that you’re reading right now. My official site is supposed to be “professional” whereas my blog is a little sloppy (in more ways than one). There are a few ways the sites will be interconnected — there will likely be one or two links between the two sites and the Web design for both sites will be similar, but not identical.

For those thinking that my blog is a little too vain — it’s just a humble update of goings on in my life. I’m not trying to dazzle the world with my opinions — I tried that my freshman year of college and the globe still spins 24/7.

When everything is all said and done, the personal page will include many more things than just my blog. Plans include adding my radio stuff, favorite links (everyone does it), photos and poetry (just kidding on that last one).

Stay tuned — it’ll be grrrrrrrrea— better than it is now.

Every year at UC Davis’ Picnic Day there is the Battle of Bands featuring marching/pep bands from across the state of California. One of the highlights is the performance of Beginnings by the entire group. It’s a 30-minute long romp that is always fun for everyone (even for the flutes and clarinets — we dance mostly because there isn’t parts for us).

That annual event is the closest thing I can think of that compares with this:
930 saxophones playing at the same time. Jazz group The Shuffle Demons organized this world-record attempt last week in Toronto.

Details:
http://www.shuffledemons.com/world_details.php

What’s even scarier is the wallpaper:
http://www.shuffledemons.com/images/world/record_photo_800x600.jpg

Seeing so many saxophones is daunting. Note, I was going to make a snide joke about the dangers of combining so many egos in one place, but it seemed like a low blow.

The song they chose to play was “Canada’s Second National Anthem” – the theme song to the Hockey Night in Canada telecast. Actually, they played the song on Hockey Night and it sounded surprisingly good considering that nearly 1,000 people are trying to play at the same time.

All and all, it would have been nice to have been there.

Joshua Marshall has a brief and fitting tribute to Ronald Reagan who passed away on Saturday.

I’m not going to linger long on Reagan’s death, simply on the principle that if you don’t have anything nice to say you shouldn’t say it at all and because my Web site hasn’t dwelled on strong political opinion.

I salute the man for his passage as a human being. Yes, he was a leader of men and his dedication to defeating Communism is probably second to none. And yet I doubt his effectiveness — in dealing with the communists and with the country as a whole. His legacy is concrete only because the conservatives have made it so.

I lived the first third of my life under the rule of Reagan, but my memories of his administration are less than fond. I believe that Reagan has long been idolized (dare I say overhyped) by those on the right for far-less-than-truthful reasons. I have no reason to dwell on the relative mediocrity of the Reagan administration especially because conservatives are more than willing to prop up his administration upon half -truths and lies. Unfortunately, the conservatives’ zeal to place Reagan’s name upon practically every edifice across the country won’t reveal the truth about his administration.

In particular, I look upon his reputation as a fiscal manager and leader of the democratic free world. While he approved a few tax cuts, his title as a fiscal conservative is laughable when considering such expensive boondoggles as Star Wars and other worthless military build ups that we as taxpayers are still paying dividends. As a leader of democracy, Reagan’s actions were often anti-democratic and contrary to U.S. policy and the causes of the free world.

Much of Reagan’s legacy is hypocritical and false. Ultimately, I remember a story about his time as California’s governor during political unrest at UC Berkeley. Aside from the feckless political meddling that the then-governor attempted to accomplish, during the Free Speech Movement that raged across campus, Reagan purportedly ordered the National Guard to restore order by any means necessary. The commander then ordered shotguns to be fired into the crowd regardless if they were protester or innocent bystander. The result: An innocent was caught in the crossfire and died.

Such is the example of Reagan’s reckless leadership that unfortunately spanned from California to across the world.

I pray that Reagan’s real legacy is remembered by future generations. My fear is that it won’t.

Pick the saddest phrase out of the following:

1) Whenever I wasn’t working this weekend, I was mostly either eating, sleeping or being extremely lazy.
2) One of the happiest things I’ve been looking forward to lately is my new TiVo.
3) I’m cleaning my house so that the plumber won’t judge me too harshly when he fixes my sink.

It’s not so bad — I went bowling and karoke-singing Saturday and Sunday. But still, I’m hoping that things pick up soon. More than hope — I’m working on some things (and I don’t mean going through my three-foot high stack of unread magazines or six-foot high stack of newspapers).

It’s nice to know that what goes around comes around. BBC is announcing a UK version of The Apprentice.

I suppose “The Apprentice” is a good enough concept to make it overseas. However I haven’t heard of the “rich dude” the Beeb found to oversee this show.

I know the increasing tide of spam is the bane of all e-mail users’ existences, but the latest stuff I’m getting is absurd.

It’s no surprise that I have several e-mail addresses. I’ve taken care not to publish or actually use some of them, so they should remain relatively spam-free. That was the case of my Charter.net address until last week. After months of non-activity, this e-mail address is suddenly deluged in spam. Not only is it spam, but it’s viral — each e-mail address contains a .scr or whatever. And it’s every message that includes an iffy attachment.

I know it’s a common tactic for spammers to send out messages to computer-generated combinations of letters coupled with a domain in the hopes of hitting a legit address. I’ve seen it happen on several of my other accounts. This is the first time that I’ve seen such a deluge of pap laden with virii.

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Booknotes:For the first time in a while, I read two totally new books. The first was The Sweater Letter detailing the investigation of a suspicious hunting accident in Ontonagon County. The investigation by the Michigan State Police showed that the husband killed his wife and tried to make it look like an accident.

Aside from some jarring asides that don’t add much to the narrative, I thought it was a decent page-turner detailing a rural homicide investigation.

The other book I read was Stone and Anvil from the Star Trek: New Frontiers range of books. I had been putting reading it off because it’s the latest in a series of books by author Peter David that I haven’t read. However, getting into it was really easy and it was a pretty enjoyable read.

And like they say on Reading Rainbow: These and other great books should be available at your public library. Or Amazon.com. Whichever.

You never know what you’re going to find on the Internet, and I’m not talking about some perverted Web site that your co-worker thinks is “funny.”

I was filtering through my junk e-mail box on Yahoo! Mail when this ad from State Farm Insurance loaded on the page:

In case you’re not a fan of PBS, this is money “guru” Suze Orman. I don’t know all that much about her — except Orman and the other members of her same self-help cabel takes over PBS during pledge-drive times (showcasing piles of unpleasantness over the normal, high-quality of PBS programming).

*deep breath* Anyway, I already don’t care for this woman, but this advertisement takes the cake — why would you want advice from a woman with those eyes? A friend just said she looks like a cultist, but I’m thinking about the unblinking eyes of Steve Forbes.

Bottom line — I’m thinking State Farm has made a mistake here. I have absolutely no desire to click through on this ad.

I’ve been struggling off and on for the past few weeks with a leaky faucet. I’ve been really been busy doing other things – so I haven’t really dedicated all that much time to the effort.

However, I’m currently trying to get the handles off of the base and they’re wedged on extremely tight. I’ll keep plugging away at it, but home repair apparently isn’t my forte.

My luck at games of chance is pretty lousy. I guess given the odds that a lot of people have the same luck. Saturday, however, was my lucky day.

I was at the rally in support of U.S. troops in South Range this afternoon. I was primarily interested in seeing how the turnout was (last year’s event was pretty awesome). That, and there would be a pig roast afterwards. (I am after all, not someone who turns down a good meal.)

So while I’m waiting for my friends and dinner to be served, I put my $5 in the raffle for 6 tickets. Dinner is good (potato wedges with ranch seasoning rock). After a while we jet to the movies (but not before Erin and Garrett do an a cappella organ solo).

My friends and I are about to go see a movie (Eternal Sunshine, again). Just as we’re about to go into the theater, I get a phone call. I won the 50-50 raffle with my share totaling $144.

While I’m enjoying the thrill of winning, the gentleman who told me the news asks if I want to give it to the troops. What could I do? I don’t want to be selfish (and be seen as selfish), but I’d like to have a few of those dollars. Plus supporting the troops was the reason for the event after all.

Ultimately, I give $100 back and opt to keep about $44. I hope that I’m not being greedy in wanting to keep some of the money.

Edit: Needed to remove weird text-wrapping from e-mailed post.