Posts from — August 2003

I went ahead and installed some new toys this weekend. First, I (finally) added that 60GB hard drive that I got with my Dell coupon for $20. Quite a deal I'd say.

I also added an HP DVD Writer (DVD300i) as a R+/RW+ burner. It also burns cdr/cdrw, so I just replaced my other cd burner and left the standard dvd drive intact. The HP install was pretty simple. XP Pro just recognized the drives, auto-updated the drivers, and I was ready to go without even having to use the HP install CD. Everyone says the drive rocks but the software sucks, so I probably won't ever crack open the HP software.

I also "happened upon" a copy of DVD X Copy Xpress, so I've already backed up my "Old School" dvd. That was flawless. I'm on cloud 9. Now to "archive" some Tivo recordings to dvd.

In one game, FSU answered every question I had for the past 11 months. The Seminoles are back.

FSU drilled the Tarheels last night at UNC…and so it begins. This was FSU's first opening day shutout since 1993 and that squad went on to a national championship. Now, I know it's just the first game and I understand that UNC certainly isn't Miami, but — watch the tape. FSU was almost flawless and this is just game one.

Rix was pinpoint accurate and very smart with the ball. Greg Jones showed that he's back after an ACL injury. He delivered the most incredible hit I've ever seen a running back put on a defender last night when he barrelled downfield for 21 yards and then hit a UNC defender square in the mouth with a forearm shiver. The UNC defender went flying backwards about four yards and lost his helmet. It's all over ESPN this morning.

This was a moire than just a season opener for FSU. The seniors begged Bowden to let them wear all white (they haven't since 1991) to mark this game as a "statement game". Message delivered, kiddies — FSU is back. A lot of people are calling this the "Paybacks are Hell" tour. UNC definitely got what was coming to them after embarrasing FSU two years ago. I was a little disappointed that Bowden took his foot of the gas later in the game, but there was never any question that UNC was whooped.

Next up is Maryland at home. UM took it on the chin this week in looking ahead to FSU so I know they'll be pumped, but after watching last night's FSU game - the 'Noles are more than ready for the challenge. Go 'Noles!

Props to Christine :: Who are those queers?

I love these guys. I think NBC is going to over-expose them and ruin it like ABC did to Millionaire, but these guys are … faboo.

Labor Day Weekend Update:

Friday, 1:38am - Josh is drunk and has poop on his boot.

The weekend is off to a terrific start, indeed.

CNN has a story today on how RIAA tracks downloaders. There are some pretty interesting details. We all know that they could run down your IP address and track your username, but what else does the RIAA do?

…the industry disclosed its use of a library of digital fingerprints, called "hashes," that it said can uniquely identify MP3 music files that had been traded on the Napster service as far back as May 2000. Examining hashes is commonly used by the FBI and other computer investigators in hacker cases.

By comparing the fingerprints of music files on a person's computer against its library, the RIAA believes it can determine in some cases whether someone recorded a song from a legally purchased CD or downloaded it from someone else over the Internet.

The recording industry also disclosed that it is examining so-called "metadata" tags, hidden snippets of information embedded within many MP3 music files. In this case, lawyers wrote, they found evidence that others had recorded the music files and that some songs had been downloaded from known pirate Web sites.

I've died and gone to Heaven. That's the only explanation that seems to fit. How else can you explain 38 college football games coming up this weekend? 38 televised games. 38. XXXVIII.

I've got the Tivo's fired up and we're ready to roll. I plan on recording & watching the better part of 20+ games this weekend. My only fear is that I'll run out of chips/dip/beer. Whatever will I do if that happens? Who could I possibly call on?

Of course, none of this football watching would be possibly without the miracle that is Tivo and four satellite feeds - as this weekend also calls for a baseball game with him, his jet-lagged wife, & the missus, plus being Mr. Host for the big bash, and the customary suburban weekend yard extravaganza.

Last year, Robyn, Todd & I had some heated discussions regarding college football. This year, Todd is helping me take those feelings to the magical land where college football rules everyday: Fanblogs.com.

Does that mean I'm above throwing down the gauntlet? Hell no. Robyn & Todd are dyed in the wool OU fans. I don't think OU will cover against the local boys from North Texas. So, I've put my money where my mouth is…for once.

I've asked Todd & Robyn to accept the challenge: If OU can't cover the 33.5 point spread, they turn their blogs "Mean Green" for a week. If OU miraculously shows up (doubtful) and covers, I make a financial contribution to several great causes.

Now all that's left is to wait & see if everybody's in.

UPDATE: Robyn told me that it would be sacrilege to ever wager on something as sacred as OU football. I guess I'll let her slide since it's her religion and all.

News.com is now covering my previous story on the new Samsung Tivos.

Seems that Comcast is keeping the damn cable internet running long enough to allow me to post, so here goes:

Beginning at midnight (central daylight time) on Labor Day, FX will re-run the entire second season of 24. The episodes will run back to back to back to…. All told, there's 23 hours of Kiefer, Elisha, et al. If you missed season two, your Tivo wishlist may not grab this marathon unless its set to "first run and repeats". Mine was going to skip it until I thought it might be fun to archive it.

In related news, the second season dvds are out on September 9th. Pre-order from Fox is $44.76 versus $48.99 on Amazon. Somebody check the shipping costs because I didn't. I think Amazon is free. Anybody?

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for stopping by over the past 169 days or so. Although I've been blogging for a couple of years, I really think this is the fastest I've ever gotten to 100,000 hits. 0-100K in 169 days. Not too shabby. I think my first 100K way back when took well over a year.

For those who stop by often, thank you. For those who are one & done, thank you - drive thru!

Some days you have wierd days at work. Some days you have really wierd days at work.

Today my Director received a very special delivery…annonymously…from PetsMart….at the office.

Someone (client? friend? former employee?) from North Carolina sent him a hamster. That's right…a hamster. But they didn't send just a hamster, mind you. They sent the whole kit and caboodle: Hamster, cage, running track, wheel, water bottle, you name it. They even sent the wood chip stuff that goes in the cage. The guy from PetsMart stopped by the office and set the whole thing up for him.

Now, without dragging your minds way down into the gutter (because my boss is a great guy), who sends a hamster?

Two new "DirecTivos" or (more correctly) DirectDVRs with Tivo are coming to market shortly. They are essentially the same as the "Series II DirecTivo" that has been available for about a year, but the new units will have an upgraded hard drive of 120GB instead of the standard 40GB. The units are being sold under the Samsung and Hughes names, although they are reportedly made by the same folks (at the same location) as the existing Series II units that are marketed as Hughes, Philips, RCA, and Samsung. No word on whether a Philips/RCA branded DVR will be available with the standard 120GB drive. The 40GB units had approximately 35 hour capacity and were set for "best" mode as a standard. With the 120GB drive, DirecTV customers can except approximately 100-105hours of recording capacity.

So, if you've been wanting an expanded Tivo unit for your DIrecTV service and were wimping out on doing the upgrade yourself, here's the perfect DVR for you. And, if you're not a DirecTV subscriber, here's yet another "what's wrong with you" message as DirecTV finishes #1 (yet again) in the J.D. Power Survey.

We've set up a free, public group for Fanblogs.com in this year's ESPN's College Pick 'Em.

Head over and join up now! Prove to the world how smhartz ya really are!

This WorldNetDaily story gives me pause. Here's a few excerpts that are especially worrisome:

The behavior and characteristics of 19 Pakistani men arrested in Toronto bear striking similarities to the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers, including the use of fraudulent student visas, the attendance of flight school and an association with a Muslim charity flagged by authorities for having ties to al-Qaida.

Among the examples of suspicious behavior listed in the document, one man is currently taking commercial pilot lessons to qualify as a multi-engine commercial pilot but his instructors describe him as an "unmotivated student" who has been training for almost three years even though the "average timeframe for qualification is approximately one year."

The flight path of the training flies over the Pickering nuclear power plant.

In April, two other "associates of the group" were deemed suspicious when police found them outside the gates of the Pickering plant.

According to Canadian officials, the detainees "appear to reside in clusters of 4 or 5" and "change residents in clusters. The residences kept a "minimal standard of living" with most only consisting of a mattress and computer. One "cluster left an apartment during the night and discarded all of their belongings: mattresses, clothing and computer shells, apparently taking only the computer hard drive upon vacating the apartment," reported officials.

The probe was sparked when an immigration officer was unable to verify the applicant was a student at the "college," as he purported to be on his application. He also had a bank balance with more than $40,000 but no "identifiable source of income."

LoneAggie relates something that I haven't seen in the news at all. A truck was bombed in his apartment complex. Someone put a bomb under the truck and blew it up. LoneAggie has a picture here.

What the hell?! I mean, what the hell, people?!