Carousel of Hate

Mike sent me a link today to a web site for a new laundry “system” called dropps. I like the concept of pre-measured pacs to keep from over-use, however I think I would generally under-use my detergent. My one concern is that I tend to so several small loads through out the week when I get home from the gym or especially every day when I am training for a run. Mike suggested I just buy additional kit however I will have to take that into consideration because I hate to buy too many things that are not always used.

I think I will try either the one 2-count Sample Pack or Seven 2-load Travel Packs and report back.

My Brother told me about this commercial for Time Warner Cable where a Verizon FiOS guy shows up to talk about fiber.

I have been a supporter of T-Mobile for many years. I have called T-Mobile to find out if they are planning to carry Sony Ericsson phones again and also when they plan to offer 3G services. Both are generally met with the same response “We do not receive any information about these plans you should look on our web site!”

Today I read that T-Mobile is offering their first 3G handset could this mean they are actually going to upgrade to 3G?

I was just completely taken back by a commercial on television. The new Clear Blue Easy commercial is just a revolting piece of media with the following vulgar quote.

The most sophisticated piece of technology you’ll ever pee on…

Is this the best that we can do for television advertising today?

the TiVo UI makes the Comcast software look like it was written by disgruntled East Germans in 1964

I purchased my TiVo Series 1 (Sony SVR2000) on 15-Jun-2000 at Circuit City. I know this because I can still log on to my account on circuitcity.com and see my order history!

I loved my TiVo, I used it a lot back then. I was always amazed how simple the interface was. It was not cluttered and was easy to navigate. Even when they went to the Series 2 the interface did not change much. If you consider how many revisions there have been to Windows over the years, the folks at TiVo either really studied the design or just got lucky with this one.

I eventually hacked my TiVo to add a network card and used that until about 2005 when it stopped getting updates. I wondered if it was because TiVo was trying to block the hacks for Series 1 but I never found anyone else with the same problem.

I guess now TiVo is offering an upgrade to the TiVo HD unit. I considered this with the Series 2 but wanted to get something HD at least. Now I have to decide shortly if I am going to do the upgrade. I loved the DVD option on the Series 2 but it seems as if they have dropped the DVD option all together.

I think my feelings about the interface is summed up in this comment from the Gizmodo site… “the TiVo UI makes the Comcast software look like it was written by disgruntled East Germans in 1964…” Thank you Colonel35!

Today my friend Mike called to share happy fun news with me, but first I digress.  

Back in 2002 I had my first exposure to GSM.  I knew I would be traveling to London so I went to the local GSM mobile phone carrier, VoiceStream Wireless (read T-Mobile) and established an account.  With the account I purchased my first GSM terminal (read handset or phone for the lame) a Motorola (before they were too cool and became just Moto) Timeport T280.  This was a decent phone even for a Motorola but it had a few issues when begin used abroad.

The first issue I ran across was that I was unable to get the phone to recognize and join a network. I discovered that I had to change the frequency it was using through an obscure menu setting since the UK used 800/1800 and my US carrier was 1900 at this point. Then I went to a local Vodophone shop to purchase a SIM and was informed that my handset was SIM locked. I phoned Motorola support and they gave me the SIM unlock code. Little did I know that in the future the carrier had to provide this code so I must have been lucky this day. I got the handset working and began my enjoyment of the GSM network. My handset was capable of handling two distinct lines however I did not have the option with my pre-paid SIM.

I do not recall the exact time or place of my first Sony Ericsson handset purchase I purchased my Sony Ericsson T68i from Amazon.com on 26-Nov-2002. I was able to use it with my 12″ PowerBook G4 and enjoy all the BlueTooth goodies. Just a little under a year later I purchased my Sony Ericsson T610i from Amazon.com on 8-Oct-2003. After rebate I think I got ~$100 back which was during a time of amazing phone prices and also some of the last days you could purchase a Sony Ericsson phone with T-Mobile service. T-Mobile has not carried anything but the GC89 PC Card since then, and Amazon.com currently does not carry any Sony Ericsson for T-Mobile.

Now we are back up to date. So my friend gave me a Sony Ericsson K750i but it seems to have a few issues like BlueTooth connectivity etc, otherwise it is a great phone. Mike received an email to announce the release of the Sony Ericsson K850i. This looks to be about the most fully featured handset that I could want. It supports GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA, UMTS 850/1900/2100. All that means that if T-Mobile ever upgrades from EDGE then I should be set to get actual 3G services! Mike phoned Sony Ericsson and apparently it is officially “globally available” yet they have no idea who will be carrying it or when it will be ready for purchase. Now what does that mean? Even the Sony Style store has no commitment to carry the device. Will somebody please tell me why Sony Ericsson is so adverse to taking my money?

This afternoon on the radio I heard a news story about a hacker convention coming to Dayton.  The Dayton Daily News article highlights about a local hacker Brian Fite and indicates that he is not a hacker that steals my information but he protects it.  Now if this guy has never met me how is he protecting my information?

“…first-ever international convention of computer hackers.”

 Am I the only person who has ever heard of DEF CON the hackers convention in Vegas?  And of course my biggest question which is not answered in the article… WHY DAYTON? 

So I was browsing for something online which I cannot remember now, and I came across a MySpace page talking about a movie called “From the 50 Yard Line.”  I was in band in high school however my school did not have a marching band, so I was intrigued by the site.  I found they have the real site at www.fromthe50yardline.com and I looked around.  I watched the trailer and realized that the movie was about the Centerville (Ohio) marching band.  Why in the world would there be a documentary about the Centerville marching band?  I was not aware that in the entire world the Centerville marching band was so spectacular that they needed a movie.  I did find out that they have a full semi-trailer to transport their equipment, that seems a bit wasteful for a public high school, but who am I to say. In any event I would like to see the film, it does look interesting.