Fenriz Fhtagn!

I love Cable. But...

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:09:02 -0600

I love Comcast cable TV. The channels, video quality, and DVR are all good, reliability of signal is excellent, it delivers a good product. That said, the operative word is “good”. Good is satisfactory when the cost is equally good, but the cost for just-above-basic cable TV (zero premium channels) has ballooned to over $100/month. That’s not good. Therefore I have revived an old hobbyist interest in ditching premium TV service and going OTA (over-the-air).

The conditions are ripe for my wife and I. We watch less TV these days, and very little non-broadcast stuff (damn you holdouts The Walking Dead on AMC and Game of Thrones on HBO). Everything we watch is network TV, thrown out free over the airwaves in full HD. The main broadcast channels (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, even the CW) are so-called because their signals are still pushed out over the airwaves like in days of yore, available for free to anyone with an (now digital required) antenna. Such antennae start at just $10, and for that meager investment one can (potentially) get local broadcast channels in the maximum live-TV resolution available today.

(Maximum HD video, 1080p, is available only on some streaming video-on-demand services, such as VUDU and recently iTunes, and via Blu-Ray. ALL broadcast, cable, and satellite content is a close but not maximum HD resolution of 1080i. What the hell id 1080i vs 1080p? Thoughtfully someone else has anticipated the question: 1080ivs1080p.com.)

I had a $40 RCA antenna from a previous trial with digital OTA. Never worked previously, but we were ground floor surrounded by a three-story apartment complex and such a simple indoor antenna just couldn’t get everything reliably. Our house now is closer to downtown and in a development away from any large structures. I tried the RCA and it was much better, but still had problems with one major channel and intermittent interruption on others. Picked up a nice improved $80 device from Antennas Direct, and now everything is solid. For that limited premium content we crave, we also have Netflix ~~and Hulu Plus~~ (update: cancelled Hulu, haven’t missed anything.), Apple TV, and via the Smart TV Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, CinemaNow, and Blockbuster On-Demand to buy it if we so desire.

The only and biggest concern left was recording shows, since I turned my leased DVR back in to Comcast. Life with a DVR is game-changing. Once you are freed from the time slots and multiple 5+minute commercial breaks, traditional live TV becomes unbearable. I would rather simply give up TV than watch without a DVR. There is no room for compromise here. I looked around a lot, and the obvious TiVo is the solution. It’s an advanced DVR, beyond the merely good solutions one gets from ones cable or satellite providers. The only real caveat is that you still need to pay monthly for the scheduling and programing service, in TiVo’s case $20/month. I was paying $18/month just for DVR rental from Comcast, so that’s not a bad rate. (I cruised several fansites and scored an antenna-users’ deal to get TiVo for a year at $10/month. BONUS!)

TiVo is pretty badass. I got the entry-level $99 Premiere which gives me everything but expanded storage capacity and THX certified audio (even the base premiere is still HDMI 5.1 audio). It’s much snappier to FF, RW, and Pause/Play than my Motorola Comcast box. The menu interface is 21st Century, unlike the late 90s Comcast interface. It preserves OTA video quality, which btw is THE SHIT. OTA signals are raw uncompressed full HD streams, which look fantastic. Cable and satellite providers sometimes compress video before delivering it to you in order to reduce their bandwidth costs. It still looks good, but when I swap from one source to the other I can see the superiority of the OTA picture. If you don’t have an Internet-enabled TV, I consider TiVo a no-brainer. In addition to great DVR capabilities, via Ethernet TiVo also streams Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, ~~and your own PC’s library of media~~ (Nvm, this is a pain in the ass). For $100 plus $20/month you can turn your dumb TV into one of the smartest TVs available.

So far the project goes well. We haven’t missed any of our shows except The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, which I will either buy on demand or wait out until Netflix streams season 2 (update: bought GoT, gonna wait on tWD). TiVo works as flawlessly as appliance technology should, and is actually fun to use. (I’m listening to it stream music through Pandora now.) For the next couple months the Comcast savings will recoup the investments into antenna and TiVo, but thereafter it will yield a lot of spare entertainment budget for premium movie and show rentals. I think I will not miss cable at all.

UPDATE: I wrote this post 6 months ago when I fist cut the cable. In the six months since I honestly have missed NOTHING. I spend less time watching tv because there is never anything on since I only tune six channels on my tv. All I get are the shows I target and TiVo. Otherwise the tv is off, streaming Pandora music, or streaming tv shows or movies from VUDU, iTunes, or my PC.

Another new revelation: don’t fret too much about a internet connected or “Smart” tv. TiVO does most of that already, plus I got a Samsung Blu-Ray home theater system for some glorious surround sound, and it has all the internet capabilities of the tv as well. Get a TiVo and/or internet enabled Blu-Ray player and your regular old dumb tv will suddenly have all the streaming media capability your could want. Cut out the redundancy I naively bought into: I irritatingly have 5 devices in my home theater that stream Netflix: Samsung TV, Samsung Blu-Ray, Apple TV, Wii, and TiVo.

Apple iTV should be a super TiVo.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:36:38 -0700

I don’t think an Apple “iTV” like the rumormill is predicting is a good idea, and if it happens at all, I don’t think it will be what they are expecting.

In case you’re not familiar, what’s being rumored is a big screen HDTV iPad:

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/117305-apple-itv-detailed-its-like-a-42-inch-ipad

Cool idea and all, but this will not revolutionize your tv experience in a sufficiently Apple-y way. In fact it will do little to affect your tv viewing at all, because what is the dominating inescapable presence during all your current tv experience? Your cable or satellite DVR. People who are possible customers for an iTV have cable or satellite, and as you know everything you do runs through that DVR interface. If apple is going to revolutionize your experience, even as moderately as making the on-screen display look pretty when you change channels, it has to replace the cable/satellite interface, and this means replacing the box. Simply hooking a gorgeous tv to your current set top box just makes the existing poor user experience look better.

I know this because I did get a gorgeous new tv this year. The cable experience was satisfactory before, but with the great new big picture the cable DVR system was irritatingly arcane and sluggish. This tv is even a web-enabled smart tv with Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and video search built in. But all tv watching (and recording) is still locked into that meager cable box.

I eventually gave up on and ditched cable on favor of free over-the-air HD, but with the cable box went my DVR. I chose to replace it with a TiVo. Best. Decision. Evar. Now my tv experience is governed by TiVo, not Comcast, and TiVo has it right. Plus it does Netflix, Hulu, etc too, so I never have to leave the TiVo interface for the smart tv interface. I get a much more universal interface for more of what I’m doing, and it’s great.

To be able to revolutionize your tv, Apple has to get in between you and your content and govern the entire experience. Since we can’t live without our DVRs, I think Apple has to replace them. The iTV must be a DVR.

You could put this in a tv which would be kinda cool, but here Apple has less room to improve upon what’s out there. Have you seen a flagship current generation 50” LED tv from Samsung or LG? These machines are awesome. Apple cannot improve upon these tvs. Why not? Because Samsung and LG make the screens for iPhones and iPads. They are the masters of display technology, not Apple. Apple is the master of software experience. Therefore, I think Apple will leave HDTV set making to those who do it best, and will make a separate device. This will make the iTV much cheaper, plus then people like me that just got a nice new set will still be in the market for iTV. (If it is a full HDTV, I will not be getting one. I already have my awesome tv and have no intention of upgrading for years.) Let people choose the HDTV style they want (plasma, LCD, LED), form factor they want (30”-70”, slim or projection, wall or floor), and price they want ($300-$5000). With an independent iTV box now ANY tv becomes iTV.

Apple TV (2) is a pretty cool little device. For such a tiny simple device it delivers incredible media. It’s current shortcomings as a HTPC (home theater PC) are simply lack of media format compatibility and merely 720p video. Another big irritation to me is that the Apple TV resides on a separate tv input, like my Blu-Ray player and Wii. This means to access it I have to change the tv to a different input and power on the device. It becomes a dedicated session device, something to which I switch only when I think of it and am in the mood. It is not an integrated part of my routine media consumption.

TiVo is. I find myself easily starting Pandora, Netflix, and browsing Amazon Instant Video, in addition and in tandem with broadcast tv, because they are all conglomerated into a single universal media interface. Watching live tv, a DVR’d show, or streaming Netflix seems all the same with TiVo, so I do all interchangeably. Similarly, because my tv’s own web ability is a distinct interface from the TiVo’s, I do not use it.

One place for EVERYTHING. That is the holy grail of modern media.

Apple can deliver that with a stand alone box, a hybrid of the current Apple TV and the excellent TiVo, plus of course some completely novel Apple-yness.

Even crazier, imaging it incorporated Blu-ray. Then every media experience would be through Apple’s interface: watching tv, watching recorded shows, streaming online music, Netflix/Hulu et al, YouTube, apps, games, web browsing, movie rental/purchase, local media streaming and full HTPC capability, and finally Blu-Ray HD movies. iTV would be THE way you get to, through, and find EVERYTHING you want to do. Apple could become to home media what Google is to the web: THE way get there.

This materialization of iTV would be the game changer. Your and my fancy”smart” tv would become just a dumb but pretty display device for the brilliant Apple universal media interface. ITV could empower, improve, and control every aspect of our media consumption. True 21st century multimedia.

It would be the best thing to happen to my tv.

My Sugar-Free Low Carb Eggnog

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:25:26 -0700

I love eggnog and I try to make my own every season. I got this recipe from my friendly neighborhood liquor store and love it. However, this year I am going low-carb. I thought about it an realized eggnog should convert fairly well, and the following is my creation at 7 grams of net carbs per 6 oz cup. Almost all the carbs are sugar from the Gran Gala, so I may experiment substituting the Gran Gala with more brandy or bourbon and adding orange bitters. But here is the recipe so far, and it is mighty fine.

4 large eggs
6 ounces (0.75 cups) sugar-equivalent artificial sweetener (I used 0.25 cups,
or 12 teaspoons, Truvia)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon clove
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ounces (0.25 cups) brandy
2 ounces (0.25 cups) Gran Gala (just as good as Grand Marnier, 1/2 the price)
4 ounces (0.5 cups) bourbon
4 ounces (0.5 cups) heavy cream
16 ounces (1.5 cups) unsweetened almond milk (Silk Pure Almond or Almond Breeze)

1. In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment (or in a blender), blend the eggs for 1 minute.

2. Add the sugar and spices and blend for an additional 30 seconds.

3. S-L-O-W-L-Y add the cognac, bourbon and Grand Marnier, blending another 30 seconds.

4. Add the milk and cream and blend 1 minute more.

5. Cover and refrigerate. (Twenty-four hours or more is best.)

6. To serve, pour into a champagne flute or teacup.

7. Garnish each serving with freshly grated nutmeg and ground cinnamon.

8. Serve.

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 10:29:20 -0600

Remake Bad.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:03:05 -0600

Io9 just posted an article “Some 1980s and 1990s Movies That Actually Should Be Remade.” No. Seriously. No.

They claim “Everybody knows that remakes are a plague and an abomination,” yet go on “Nobody complained when John Carpenter remade The Thing, after all. …Here are 20 beloved (and not so beloved) films of a quarter-century ago that actually should be remade.”

The Thing was good because it was a remake of an obscure old 1951 film The Thing from Another World, and because it was John Carpenter. Remakes are never good, especially when the original is still fresh enough in popular consciousness to demand direct comparison. Check out this list of The 25 Best Movie Remakes of All Time. With a couple exceptions, it seems like a list of pretty mediocre films. And the original source films are very obscure. I didn’t even know half of those were remakes, or at least have never seen the original, so in that case they don’t really claim the consciousness as a remake.

But check out this io9 list and tell me which would likely be improved upon by a remake? There are a couple I will accept because the original film was under par (Lawnmower Man, They Live), but others failed the first time around and just aren’t good enough to deserve a remake (Virtuosity, Meteor Man). They might have a cool central idea, like AIs and cybercrime, but don’t remake the pathetic old film, just make a new film on the same ideas and be free to create anew.

Is it so hard to come up with original material? At least if the film industry really can’t come up with it’s own stuff, it should stick to just adapting successful novels. Comics maybe they should leave alone, too…

DLNA Fail, AirPlay to the Rescue.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:23:35 -0600

My nice Samsung “smart” tv is connected to my network and the web via DLNA, the rarely-heard-of device networking protocol that has been around for 8 years. It’s a cool project aimed at effortlessly networking computers and other computing devices (routers, tvs, stereos, mobiles, tablets, etc.) so everything can communicate and share data on your home network.

No one’s heard much about it, because everything about it (except what it can do) lacks sexy. What does not lack sexy is the newer proprietary Apple equivalent of DLNA: Airplay.

Smart tvs have been available for several years and are most basically tvs that connect to your network and internet to access media from those sources. The most well-known (but still pretty poorly known) are the Samsung’s, and their main improvement is the inclusion of a mobile-wannabe apps platform. A few are essential and work well allowing you to stream previously computer-only content directly onto your big screen (Netflix, Youtube, Hulu Plus, CinemaNow/Blockbuster for on demand video rental), the rest are crap.

I’m somewhat tech savvy, but even I didn’t really realize how simple and ubiquitous internet tv technology is. It is available on any moderately priced modern tv, and even if you have a “dumb” or crappy old tv, you can still internet-supercharge it by adding certain Blu-Ray players, a PlayStation 3, or the Apple TV.

This is great and all, but first and foremost what I wanted of my smart tv was easy streaming of local video from my computer to my big screen. I have HD movies on my PC, and I want to watch them on my tv. This is a less-than-sexy need and should be easily accomplished considering the bevy of online media the thing can grab.

There is a whole separate article here in the discussion of the intricacies involved in setting up a home DLNA network, but that’s not the point I’m making here. The point here is that one day I tried to play The Nightmare Before Christmas from my PC to my tv. Tv couldn’t find the PC. PC couldn’t find the tv. Reset router. Nope. Restart tv, restart DLNA serve on PC. Nope. No streaming happening.

Out of curiosity, since the movie was an Apple-happy H.264 MP4, I tried my iPad. The iPad can stream this format natively from iTunes, but I prefer to use iTunes as little as possible due to clunkiness and geek-unfriendliness. For streaming to my iPhone/iPad I use the awesome AirVideo app.

I fire up AirVideo on the iPad, it finds the PC running the AirVideo server just fine. Play the movie from the PC to the iPad, then use Airplay to sling the movie from the iPad to the Apple TV, which displays nicely on my Samsung via HDMI (albeit only in 720p, but the movie was only that resolution so no loss).

So the purportedly simple DLNA, with 8 years experience, ought to have, but failed to do this:

DLNA PC server (Windows Media Player 12) —> DLNA display (Samsung tv)

Apple succeeded instead in doing this:

AirVideo Server —> AirVideo ipad app —> Airplay to Apple TV —> Samsung tv

With stories like this (I am not the only one, I’m sure), it is any wonder Apple is kicking everyones’ ass?

"Ancient Aliens" and Speciousness

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:47:00 -0600

spe·cious

[spee-shuhs]

–adjective

1. apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible: specious arguments.

I love the word specious. It is perhaps my favorite word in the vocabulary of philosophy. I also have a particular fondness for false, but specious has an academic air that I like.

I also have a terrible weakness for the History Channel’s Ancient Aliens. I am a total sci-fi geek and I would love it to be the case that aliens were responsible for seeding our greatest ancient civilizations. However, what’s sad is that this program is also emblematic/hallmark/quintessential (so many good words for this, huh?) of the aforementioned and defined speciousness.

(Side note: OMG get to know the word quintessence. This word is THE SHIT. Once you get it everything is quintessence, everything else is mere shit. You were hardly philosophers, but you struck gold; thank you Mage [Wikipedia link here because White-wolf.com’s own entry (white-wolf.com=>Old World of Darkness=Mage) sucks ass.])

Sidenote from Hell right there, right?

I love Ancient Aliens, but at the same time it is total shit. This is my Jersey Shore. (I like the TMZ link because it captures the sleaziness absent in the MTV and Wikipedia pages.) This series (Ancient Aliens, not Jersey Shore) has all the accredited-guest-lecturer status of genuine science, yet woefully and exceptionally lacks that foremost and critical fulcrum of logical discourse: evidence.

I cannot undertake a full refutation of Ancient Aliens; it is far too broad and sloppy in it’s liberal dosage of speciousness to be addressed in anything short of an equally voluminous series. (Speaking of a voluminous series, see Carl Sagan’s Cosmos for the closest thing to a scientific exploration of the world, and a retort to specious bullshit, you’ll ever find on film.)

However, I direct the logic-minded among us (see, no appeal to the almighty anit-God “SCIENCE”, so shut your theist holes.) to check this show out. I have never before been more entertained and at the same time logically and evidentially disgusted. This show is an awesome triumph for specious science, with “expert” commentary, cool 3D graphics, and renderings of “true” ancient life. True to the meaning of the the word specious, this program has all the trappings of “good or right” but is “lacking real merit”.

The “experts” are lame. Many do have legitimate academic credentials. However, as my father, a PhD and Notre Dame Professor in physics for 30+ years, says, “any idiot can get a PhD”. Credentialing in your discipline does not mean you are immune to retarded and illogical ideas. I am credentialed in my own discipline and know full well many of my colleagues are quite stupid.

Still, I am mesmerized by this program in particular because it presents evidence so convincingly, and lines up credible experts so well, that the scientifically untrained viewer has little recourse against the pseudologic. This is the proverbial train wreck to which we are all compelled to pay attention, but from which we ought (link not for the weak of will) all separate ourselves and perform responsible logical analysis.

Who sits through an episode of this program and exercises critical thinking? Who questions the conclusions to which this railroad of a program comes? No one. Just me (with a nice Irish Creme martini and a couple Sotols on the books).

Nothing new is happening here. There is always a predominance of falsehood, in the interest of those in power. It’s not even malicious, it’s just merely decadent. People like such sensationalism, why not feed it to them? Ancient Aliens is the highbrow equivalent of Jersey Shore. This is falsely empowering eulogy that makes people feel secure in their perceptions, while in reality simply consigning them to the strata of simpletons.

The Sci-Fi channel is lost to the likes of Ghost Hunters and WWE Smackdown. The History Channel is obviously not far behind (though thankfully Ancient Aliens, maybe with Monster Quest and Nostradamus Effect, seem to be the only total farce programs.)

Speciousness is the hallmark, and the prime weapon, of anti-truth. It is wielded in great numbers by a great host, and with overwhelming influence. Sadly the weapons of truth, logic and validity, are in comparison meager and in short supply. I do what I can to slaughter the gremlins of falsehood where I can. Please do the same as a knight of truth and slay the cunning demons of specious clause as they arise, and replace them with the resplendence of soundness.

SmartKeyboard Concept Gives th... (idownloadblog.com)

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:56:04 -0600

*SmartKeyboard Concept Gives the iPhone a Physical Keyboard Based on the iPad’s Smart Cover* http://www.idownloadblog.com/2011/09/03/smartkeyboard/

How to Build a Computer from Scratch: The Complete Guide

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:49:00 -0600

How to Build a Computer from Scratch: The Complete Guide:

Thanks Lifehacker!

Last week, we showed you how to build your own custom PC, from picking the parts, to putting it together and installing your OS. Here’s the complete guide, along with a printable PDF version that you can use as a reference.

Note: Click the lesson title to view the lesson—it’s a link!

Lesson 1: Hardware Basics

Building a computer from scratch gives you the perfect machine for your needs, but it can be daunting the first time around. For our first lesson in building your own PC, we start with a little computer hardware basics.

Lesson 2: Choose and Buy Your Parts

In this lesson, we’ll show you how to most effectively pick out and shop for your parts.

Lesson 3: Building the Computer

Assembling your computer can seem daunting, but it’s actually pretty easy. In lesson 3, we show you step-by-step how to put everything together.

Lesson 4: Installing Your Operating System

Once you’ve put it together, you’re past the difficult portion. Lesson 4 deals with installing your operating system and get everything up and running.

Lesson 5: Further Resources

There’s a lot more computer-building info out there than we can fit into one Night School. In our final lesson, we share some other resources that should help you in both the building and post-building steps.

If you’d like all of these lessons in a printable PDF file, click here to download one. That way you can take it with you to the store, to your workbench, or anywhere else you may need it. Thanks for learning with us this week!

Would summer end please soes I can get more Walking Dead? Kthx.

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:08:42 -0600

Would summer end please soes I can get more Walking Dead? Kthx.

The Beastie Boys' epic 11-minute music video pits G.I. Joes against zombies [Video]

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:13:49 -0600

The Beastie Boys' epic 11-minute music video pits G.I. Joes against zombies [Video]:

Here’s something for all your Supermarionation fans out there. Longtime Beastie Boy collaborator and Being John Malkovich director Spike Jonze has directed 11 minutes worth of…

Why You Should Ditch PayPal and Use These Other Services to Send People Money [Money]

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:11:07 -0600

Why You Should Ditch PayPal and Use These Other Services to Send People Money [Money]:

PayPal is generally seen as the definitive way to pay people online, but it’s not necessarily the best. There are plenty of other great services out there that offer added benefits…

Genius hybrid heatsink fan can make your computer run faster

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:43:15 -0600

Genius hybrid heatsink fan can make your computer run faster:

Most computers deal with heat the same way: there’s a heat sink (a big radiator) attached to the processor, and a fan that blows air over it. Combining these two things into a heat sink that spins

Star Trek App Beams Onto the iPad The new Star Trek app from CBS Interactive converts any iPad...

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:42:03 -0600

Star Trek App Beams Onto the iPad The new *Star Trek* app from *CBS Interactive* converts any iPad into the ultimate Trekkie experience by simulating the LCARS interface seen on *Star Trek: The Next Genration*. iPad users can now access the official *Star Trek * operating system and history of the series with a complete *Star Trek*encyclopedia. The PADD database includes information on all the aliens, planets and ships who have appeared in the *Star Trek* universe over the past 40-years. [image: LCARS interface] Fans can access information from all the *Star Trek* shows, including the short-lived *Enterprise* series, while being guided by the iconic computer voice made famous by Majel Barrett Roddenberry. The app also features Facebook and Twitter integration so Trekkies can keep updated on all the latest *Star Trek* news. read more>

Dancing To The Drumbeat Of HTML5, New Pandora Is Brilliant, Beautiful

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:48:41 -0600

Dancing To The Drumbeat Of HTML5, New Pandora Is Brilliant, Beautiful:

Shared by Fenriz
Awesome. I knew as soon as the iPad Flash debacle began the web would eventually come to Apple. Google and YouTube went to HTML5 immediately and many sites are following suit….

(via Why I’m keeping Netflix, even after the dumb price...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:33:49 -0600

(via Why I’m keeping Netflix, even after the dumb price hike | DVICE)

(via Bofur! Bombur! Bifur! 1st look at 3 more dwarves from The...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:29:06 -0600

(via Bofur! Bombur! Bifur! 1st look at 3 more dwarves from The Hobbit | Blastr)

http://blastr.com/2011/07/1st-look-at-the-hobbit-mo.php

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:58:24 -0600

http://blastr.com/2011/07/1st-look-at-the-hobbit-mo.php

FastPreview Adds Full-Res Previews to Images in Windows Explorer, Is Like Quick Look for Windows [Download Of The Day]

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:43:23 -0600

FastPreview Adds Full-Res Previews to Images in Windows Explorer, Is Like Quick Look for Windows [Download Of The Day]:

Windows only: FastPreview adds a big thumbnail to every image’s context menu in Windows Explorer, while also giving you quick access to a full-res preview as well as loads of data…

Despite Google+ Competition, Disco, Google’s Hushed Messaging App, Continues To Improve

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:11:36 -0600

Despite Google+ Competition, Disco, Google’s Hushed Messaging App, Continues To Improve:

It has been over three months since we first broke the news on the existence of Disco, the group messaging app made by the Slide team within Google. Google still refuses to talk about…

Fenriz Fhtagn!

I love Cable. But...

Apple iTV should be a super TiVo.

My Sugar-Free Low Carb Eggnog

Remake Bad.

DLNA Fail, AirPlay to the Rescue.

"Ancient Aliens" and Speciousness

spe·cious

SmartKeyboard Concept Gives th... (idownloadblog.com)

How to Build a Computer from Scratch: The Complete Guide

Lesson 1: Hardware Basics

Lesson 2: Choose and Buy Your Parts

Lesson 3: Building the Computer

Lesson 4: Installing Your Operating System

Lesson 5: Further Resources

Would summer end please soes I can get more Walking Dead? Kthx.

The Beastie Boys' epic 11-minute music video pits G.I. Joes against zombies [Video]

Why You Should Ditch PayPal and Use These Other Services to Send People Money [Money]

Genius hybrid heatsink fan can make your computer run faster

Star Trek App Beams Onto the iPad The new *Star Trek* app from *CBS Interactive* converts any iPad...

Dancing To The Drumbeat Of HTML5, New Pandora Is Brilliant, Beautiful

(via Why I’m keeping Netflix, even after the dumb price...

(via Bofur! Bombur! Bifur! 1st look at 3 more dwarves from The...

http://blastr.com/2011/07/1st-look-at-the-hobbit-mo.php

FastPreview Adds Full-Res Previews to Images in Windows Explorer, Is Like Quick Look for Windows [Download Of The Day]

Despite Google+ Competition, Disco, Google’s Hushed Messaging App, Continues To Improve

Star Trek App Beams Onto the iPad The new Star Trek app from CBS Interactive converts any iPad...