I have a Tivo Series 2 that I bought when the model was new. For the most part, I have been very satisfied with the Tivo service … but not so much lately. There are now many sources for video that I would like to watch on the TV, and the Tivo box is not [...]
Category Archives: General
Is Tivo still a good bet?
08-Aug-10Odd fragment
16-Jun-10Ran across this when reading a product description on Amazon. This item is not for sale in Catalina Island What?!? Note that Catalina Island is a modest-sized inhabited island off the coast of the most populated part of southern California. About the only industry on the island is catering to tourists. There is nothing special [...]
Odd … how is this spam?
18-Apr-10Attempted to comment on Gosling’s post. Not that you likely have any shortage of suggestions – but if in your shoes I would take a close look at the zoo that includes RepRap, CupcakeCNC, and a host of related devices. Feels very much like the experimentation with small microprocessor-based computers of the late 1970′s. Maker’s [...]
Magnetic propulsion?
08-Mar-10Airplanes have always always been an interest, since I was a kid (though theoretic, not actual). Simple basic facts about aeroplanes: long thin wings tend to more efficient (aerodynamically, not structurally) than wider/thicker/shorter wings. For much the same reason – propellers are more efficient than jets. Ducted fans are less efficient than propellers, but more [...]
Apples iTunes store hacked?
20-Nov-09Just arrived in email. Billed To: preston@bannister.us Preston Bannister 14 Vallecito Foothill Ranch, CA 92610 Order Number: MGLN2G836G Receipt Date: 11/19/09 Order Total: $4.99 Billed To: MasterCard …. 1234 Item Number 1 Description 변환기, v1.0, Seller: Wang Xi|299225365 (4+) Unit Price $4.99 Write a Review Report a Problem Subtotal: $4.99 Tax: $0.00 Order Total: $4.99 Please retain for [...]
GTK bug in Ubuntu 9.10
08-Nov-09Upgraded my desktop from Ubuntu 9.04 to 9.10. That was a mistake. I could really use an “undo” button right about now (as ZFS users have for large scale file system changes). The problem is buttons. A change in GTK+ 2.18 broke Eclipse, and anything based on Eclipse. There are a number of bug reports [...]
Moon rocks and a bit of math
28-Oct-09Ran across a copy/article on extracting oxygen from moon rocks. The interesting bit: New Device Extracts Oxygen from Moon Rocks | Universe Today Fray anticipates that three reactors, each a meter high, would be enough to generate a ton of oxygen per year on the Moon. Three tons of rock are needed to produce a [...]
Tigers of Granularity
18-Jun-09Several months back, I wrote up a speculation about the granularity of what we call “reality”. Since then I have tended notice more those instances of a perceptual gap – where my mental record departs from the smoothly deductive model of reality. (An odd trap, when deductions – of a sort – lead to speculation [...]