Have you ever secretly unwrapped a gift before the big day?
Submitted by Red Pen.
Oh sure. Long ago, when the 8-bit Nintendo was still king, I got John Elway's Football (or whatever the name). I knew where my mom hid it, and I knew I couldn't wait to play. I think I took two "sick" days from school to play the thing.
Breaking the "rules" like that certainly elevated my heart rate and got me all flushed. Flushed = feverish in my household, so all was well.
I think she knew, though. It was either the lack of genuine surprise on my part when I opened the gift or the way I "mastered" the controls right away. The first game I played, I won something like 99-0....
On the Weather Channel:
"No matter how you slice it, you're going to have to take something out."
Out of context, and if you've got a particularly dirty mind, that sounds pretty suggestive. Presumably, the host was talking about rain and the need for an umbrella.
What comedian makes you pee your pants laughing?
Submitted by pookieb.
By the time Jerry Seinfeld did his HBO special, I'm Telling you for the Last Time, he was a master of his craft. That DVD is the one that makes me laugh and laugh, even after repeated viewings. My wife loves Kevin James, and I agree with her that he's funny, but Jerry is funny funny.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Why?
Submitted by abcdefg81.
Ah, that's hard. I don't think I've been to enough places to definitely answer that question. I love the following cities:
But what about Boston? What about Paris? Or any city in New Zealand? I can't answer this question until I've seen those cities.
And yeah, I loved Dingle. It's a teeny, tiny hamlet in Western Ireland. It's got mountains on one side and the beach on the other. What's not to love? The food is spectacular, the weather was lovely, the name is hilarious, and there was nothing to do but relax. (OK, so maybe I didn't stay long enough to become bored. Who knows?)
Is our TiVo dying?
We got it nearly two years ago, as an early Christmas present from my mom. It performed admirably until this summer, when it started slowing down a lot. Periodically, TiVo would even lose the programming information. Repeating Guided Setup worked, but only temporarily--about a month or so.
Searches through the mess of links that Google returns gave some information. In particular, what was happening was our hard drive was not downloading the latest software update, from 7.2.2something to 7.3. TiVo was trying to log on and download the update every night at 2am, but nothing doing--it was stuck. Not even the program information would download. Eventually, it would be lost through lack of updates, even though there had been no other indication that something was wrong.
The search results consensus was that the hard drive is going, and it would be best to get a new one, as soon as possible. (Horrors if we have to watch shows "live" once more.) Even a call to TiVo customer service verified this assessment. (But of course it would. What company wouldn't want us to buy a completely new set of hardware?)
Until a few weeks ago ... when TiVo finally updated, through no doings of our own, its software version. We're now truckin' along on version 7.3, the latest, top-o'-the-line version (so we get the KidZone--whoo-hew!). The only drawback is TiVo is even slower than before, if possible. Changing channels takes about 3-4 seconds. Is this an issue with the updated software or with the hard drive?
Time will tell. Soon, we'll see if we get the "TiVo unable to update" message once more.
How many computers do you have in your house?
Submitted by Foomper.
We have two: both Apple PowerBooks (one 667 MHz; the other 1.5 GHz). A MacBook hopes to join them soon.
Speaking of Apples, we got our new battery a few days ago. Nice.
How did you meet your best friend(s)?
She sent me an email in response to a post at the now-defunct FameTracker forums.
She's my wife now. :)
What TV show(s) will you be watching this season? Why?
Submitted by ducnly.vox.com.
The Office.
Amazing Race 10.
Lost.
Top Chef.
Grey's Anatomy (if we like it).
Project Runway (finishing up).
Why? Dunno. They are good shows, especially The Office, but I'm all for throwing the TV out and spending more creating things, rather than consuming them. Note that each of these shows are available on DVD (or will be). There's no longer a need for a television--not when you can watch on a computer monitor.
Think the camera adds 10 pounds? No more. Check out this truly tasteless effect available with HP cameras. What a world we live in.
]]>What's your favorite vacation destination?
I've only been there once, but Ireland. I went there with my wife-to-be, and ever since then, I've dreamed about going back, perhaps even moving there. Specifically, to the west coast of Ireland, around the Dingle Peninsula. It's just lovely.
It's got everything, mind: technology, pubs, a rich cultural history, football (the European kind), rolling landscapes and mammoth ocean waves, and lots of green.