Archive | September, 2005

TIVO Deathwatch: Some Mighty Good Spin

by Kent on 30. Sep, 2005 in Tech

I belive this statement released by TIVO’s soon to be former CFO might be the best example I’ve ever seen of a one sentence, over the top spin job:

“In light of the company’s recent accelerated achievement of its profitability target, its very strong financial position, and the successful transition in CEO leadership, I feel that this is the right time for me to turn my attention to new and different pursuits.”

David H. Courtney, who became TIVO’s CFO in 1999, is resigning from his management roles at the company in early 2006.

I don’t know anything about this guy. What I do know is that TIVO is fighting for its life right now, and major executive turnover probably isn’t good news.

Technorati Tags:

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

Friday’s Link: Good News Blog

by Kent on 30. Sep, 2005 in Life

If, like me, you are getting sick and tired of the media’s obsession with fear and devastation, the Good News Blog is for you.

Here’s what the “About” page has to say:

GoodNewsBlog.com is about real news, about positive news. Its about people helping people, lucky escapes, miraculous rescues, great scientific breakthroughs. It’s about the majority of people going about their daily lives without making that bad big impact that gets them that negative headline. Its about you and me just living our daily life.

There is a definite, though not in-your-face, Christian slant to this blog. That’s a good thing (both the slant and the not in-your-face part) as far as I’m concerned, but I thought I’d point it out for those who feel differently.

After all the bad news we’ve seen, heard and read lately, the Good News Blog is a much appreciated breath of fresh air.

Technorati Tags:

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

C|Net’s 10 Best Products

by Kent on 29. Sep, 2005 in Tech

C|Net has released its list of the top 10 digital products of the last 10 years. I went 7 for 10, having owned or used all but three.

Here’s the list, with my take:

1) iPod- I’ve never owned or used the device C|Net proclaims the best ever. The file limitations and DRM are more than I am willing to deal with. If you consider iPods to be the representative of MP3 players in general, however, I can’t argue with a high ranking. I’ve used several Creative products, including the small MuVo, which remains my MP3 player of choice.

2) TIVO- My TIVO deathwatch demonstrates my love of this technology. TIVO is dying a sad death at the hands of DirecTV and the Hollywood cartel, but I would nevertheless put it number 1 on my list.

3) Google- Google changed the web and the world, for the better. No argument here. I use it several times a day.

4) Napster- The original incarnation, not the DRM infested current imposter, ushered in the age of P2P. It was revolutionary technology that worked…until the RIAA killed it.

5) Firefox- I use Firefox some. In fact, I’m using it right now. But top 10 all-time? You’ve got to be kidding me.

6) PalmPilot- I’m a Blackberry guy, but I’ve used PalmPilots and they are very intuitive and useful.

7) Motorola Startac- I used one for years. I’m over the flip phone now, but it sure was a vast improvement over the corded monster in my truck that it replaced.

8) Apple iMac- Here’s a confession: I haven’t even touched an Apple computer since the Apple II. It may be the greatest thing ever, but I wouldn’t know.

9) Sony Digital Mavica- I had (actually still have) one of these. It takes digital photos directly onto a floppy disk! A great digital camera at the time.

10) The Sims- I played this game a little bit. It was cool, but not as cool as Sim City or Sim Farm, and definitely not one of my big four games.

Technorati Tags:

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

Reducing Spam – Opting Out?

by Kent on 28. Sep, 2005 in Tech

I was planning to write a Tech Tips for Tweeners piece on spam, including when to try the “opt out” approach, but Ed Bott just did an excellent piece on it.

One thing I would add: with practice, you can tell which opt out links are more likely legitimate and which ones are totally bogus. As a general rule, an opt out link that merely sends an email to a free email address (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) is totally bogus and, as Ed says, will get you nowhere. A form at some offshore web site will likely not reduce your spam and may increase it. A form at a .com web site, and particularly one that seems, upon a review of the web site, to be a legitimate mailing list server is the best (but not guaranteed) bet.

One of the head IT guys at my firm did an experiment. He tried to opt out of every piece of spam he received over an extended period of time. The result: he says he got less and less spam over time. The “never reply to spammers” approach should be canned in favor of the “judiciously respond to spammers” approach.

One final tip. The best thing to happen to spam prevention in a long time is the new version of Outlook (Outlook 2003). It has a very effective spam filter that will eliminate a lot of spam. Be sure to keep the spam filter updated, either automatically via Windows Update or via the Help/Check for Updates menu. There is a new service pack update that adds additional spam protection.

And as Ed reminds us: never, ever, ever buy anything from a spammer.

Technorati Tags:

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

XM Radio Making the Right Moves

by Kent on 28. Sep, 2005 in Music

C|Net is reporting that XM Radio has surpassed the 5 million subscriber mark. It is on track to have 6 million subscribers by the end of this year. Additionally, XM has invested in WorldSpace radio in order to facilitate expansion overseas.

I have been an XM subscriber for a couple of years now. I have not listened to one second of traditional radio since the day I got XM in my truck. I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would return to traditional radio. The mindless banter and, more importantly, the ads are simply unacceptable to me in the days of XM and, at least for a while longer, TIVO. As of a few months ago, you can also access many XM stations over the internet (as long as you are already a subscriber).

I expect XM will do very well over the long haul, as long as it doesn’t overpay for sports broadcasting rights. Eventually there will be a crossroads between more music channels (which I want) and more sports (which I’m sure XM believes many of its target audience wants), but until that time, I expect to be very happy with XM.

Technorati Tags:

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

The Ultimate Web Based Email?

by Kent on 28. Sep, 2005 in Tech

When Gmail first came out, there was quite the buzz. People begged for and even bought beta invitations. I have used Gmail (though not as my default email program) for months and I think it is a very good email solution (2.5 gigabytes of storage can’t be a bad thing, right?). But it still looks looks like a web based email application. In other words, it looks like another, better version of Hotmail or the current Yahoo email. The search for the perfect web based email application continues.

Yahoo may be about to change that. Yahoo bought Oddpost, a well liked web based email application, last year. Now it seems that Yahoo is about to combine its existing email application with Oddpost technology into a revolutionary new version of Yahoo email.

I haven’t yet scored an invitation to beta test the new Yahoo mail, but based on the reviews and screenshots I have seen, it looks like a significant improvement over everything that’s out there currently.

TheUnofficialYahooWeblog has a good review of the application, along with some screenshots. Improvements in the new application include:

1) 3 pane view, with folders, inbox and message preview available on one screen. This makes Yahoo email look and feel more like Outlook and other traditional email programs than any other web based service. It works with Firefox as well as Internet Explorer.

2) A tabbed interface that lets you line up several messages for later review, reply, etc. This feature is similar to Firefox’s much heralded (including by me) tabbed browsing.

3) Lots of formatting options for email composition. I am very strictly a plain text email person, but lots of people aren’t and if you want to make your email pretty or annoying (depending on your perspective) the new Yahoo email will give you lots of ways to do so.

4) The new Yahoo email application doesn’t target advertising based on the content of your emails the way Gmail does. This is not a big deal to me, but it will make the privacy crowd happy.

As more people move towards web based applications, which allow you to access them from any computer, not just your own computer, web based email will almost certainly see wider acceptance. By making the experience similar to what people already use, Yahoo is positioning itself perfectly to take advantage of that growth.

If I can get a beta invitation, I’ll take the new application for a spin and post more notes and updates.

Technorati Tags:
,

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

My Favorite Records:Amazing Rhythm Aces – Full House, Aces High

by Kent on 27. Sep, 2005 in Music

This is the fourth part in my series of favorite records. The list so far is here.

One of my favorite country rock bands is The Amazing Rhythm Aces. Led by a fantastic singer and songwriter, Russell Smith (a neighbor of my sister in Tennessee), they put out 6 excellent records in a row between 1975 and 1981.

The last of these is the double live album Full House, Aces High. This limited release album was recorded by the band as a sort of farewell to their fans (the band later reunited) and for years was pretty hard to find. I have the LP and later bought a CD-R copy from one of the band members. Now this gem of a record has been released on CD.

From the first note of The End is Not in Sight through the last note of I’m Gonna Miss You (Like the Devil) this record captures the best of the country by country rock sound. Highlights include a bluesy version of Just Between Me and You and the Wall (You’re a Fool), the best version of Dancing the Night Away and my favorite drinking song ever, Amazing Grace (Used to be Her Favorite Song). King of the Cowboys is dedicated to John Wayne (“my hero” according to Russell Smith) and could be a bookend for Guy Clark’s Desperados Waiting on a Train.

This record has been criticized some for a bad mix and record pops (the CD was probably recorded as a needle-drop), but I hear none of those problems. The mix sounds perfect to me, especially the keyboard track, which is an integral part of the sound. The occasional needle pop only adds to the authentic experience of hearing this band at the top of its game during a time when LPs still ruled.

There is not a bad track on this record. If you like good country/country rock, you will love this record.

Technorati Tags:
,

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

TIVO Like a Cell Phone

by Kent on 26. Sep, 2005 in Tech

So now after adding DRM restrictions (or, at a minimum the capability to add them) TIVO has decided that if you cancel your subscription within the first 12 months, you have to pay a $150 early termination fee. The PVRblog tries to take the glass half full approach and hope that this is the end of the rebate approach. Perhaps that will be one good side effect, but mainly this is another attempt by TIVO to recreate itself in a market stacked against it.

TIVO was the great liberator as far as recording and time shifting programming. DirecTV blows it off, so now it’s trying to marry the cable companies, flirt with the Hollywood cartel and dress up like the only thing people hate more than their cable company- their cell phone company.

I don’t buy it. One of the greatest technologies ever is reduced to this. Pity.

Technorati Tags:

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

More on Firefox

by Kent on 26. Sep, 2005 in Tech

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes (the PC Doctor) has completed his week-long experiment with Firefox. His conclusions: he liked some things about it, did not find it to be more secure than Internet Explorer and will not make it his default browser.

I had much the same experience with Firefox when I tried it. Having said that, I have continued to use it about half the time. I did get that Flash plugin installed, though someone not a computer geek would have given up in frustration.

I really like the tabbed browsing. I haven’t seen that many pages that won’t display properly in Firefox. My conclusions remain mostly the same: take away tabbed browsing (or add it to Internet Explorer) and I see no compelling reason to use Firefox over Internet Explorer.

But as I said before, a two horse race is a win for consumers, so I am pulling for Firefox to gain and keep market share.

Technorati Tags:
,

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments

Jukebox, Uncensored

by Kent on 25. Sep, 2005 in Music

You know the drill. Open up your jukebox of choice, point the shuffle feature to your entire library of songs and list, without exception, the first 10 or so songs that play. Each week, I add a little commentary about some of the artists, songs, albums, etc.

Reunion – Jimmie Dale Gilmore (Spinning Around the Sun) (1)
Why You Been Gone So Long – Micky Newbury (Heaven Help the Child) (2)
Don’t Break No Hearts – Steeplejack (Kitchen Radio) (3)
The Weight – The Staple Singers (Best of) (4)
Circle – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (Shooting Rubberbands…) (5)
She’s Got a Future in Movies – Doug Stone (From the Heart) (6)
Love in Vain – The Rolling Stones (Let It Bleed) (7)
Virgo Clowns – Van Morrison (His Band & the Street Choir) (8)
Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down – Elvis Costello (Almost Blue) (9)
Going to New York – Jimmy Reed (The Very Best of) (10)

(1) A good song from one of the original Texas masters. Probably my favorite song on my least favorite of his records. Start with After Awhile or, if you want to hear real country music, Fair and Square.

(2) A straight country number off a 1973 record by one of the best, but most under-appreciated, songwriters ever. Micky was a friend of mine, but I can say without the slightest fear of bias that every one of his records from the 70s is a masterpiece. But for how messed up the music industry has become, Micky’s records would all be platnium.

(3) Steeplejack’s 1996 Kitchen Radio is one of my favorite alt. country records. It rocks when it needs to rock and it’s wistful when it needs to be. This is a mid-tempo number with a bite.

(4) They do a very fine, soulful cover of a great song written by Robbie Robertson and made popular by The Band.

(5) I thought Edie was going to be a superstar after I heard this record and saw the band live at Numbers in 1989. This is one of my favorite songs on the record. Their second record was not as good, so she married Paul Simon.

(6) Good straight ahead country song by one of the guys who briefly made country music country again back in the late 80s.

(7) The Stones have always done great blues songs, and this cover of the Robert Johnson song is one of them. A great album that suffered a little by following one of the greatest albums- Beggars Banquet. The albums the Stones did from 1968-72 are simply some of the greatest music ever made.

(8) I like Astral Weeks and Moondance Better, but this is still a fine album. Virgo Clowns is an acoustic, spiritual love song that would have fit well on Moondance or Tupelo Honey.

(9) A great Merle Haggard cover off of one of the best country records ever made. If you have any interest in good country music, you simply have to own this record.

(10) Jimmy Reed rocks. A classic blues number.

Technorati Tags:

  • Share/Bookmark
Read full story • View Comments
Older Entries »