What works, what doesn't.....

At any given point in time, something in my life is not functioning as designed.

It could be something with my electronics, my car, my body, etc. Fortunately not the latter these days.

Usually, a software upgrade will fix (again, except for the latter). Items 3. and 4. from my Oct. 20 post did just that - a software upgrade fixed the problem.

But right now, another software upgrade has killed the PS3. Which means no DVDs or games (the latter has had a profound positive effect on junior's grades). The latest software upgrade "bricked" it (I am fascinated the clever jargon that's created these days).

And something called a tuning adapter has caused issues with the TiVo. Nothing major, but an annoyance nonetheless.

Hopefully the good folks at Cablevision can push a software upgrade to fix this.

One of my all-time Favorite Things...

I've had a TiVo for eight years. Actually I've had two. I can watch a 30 minute sitcom in 19 minutes. The current one is an HD model and kicks the snot out of Cablevision's HD-DVR. Why?

1. I can 30 second skip through commercials.
2. I can watch in slow motion, just like NFL refs.
3. I can stream my iTunes collection from a PC in my home office over the home theather equipment in our den (No I don't have a 'Home Theater' - the kind with big leather chairs with cup holders).
4. I can view my thousands of digital pics from my PC on the TV. Great for showing the in-laws pictures of the kids (they don't do Facebook).
5. I can stream movies from Amazon, Netflix and Blockbuster, and watch YouTube.
6. I can transfer stuff directly to my iPod.
7. I can (but probably never will) order Domino's through it.

And when it breaks, I can put a new software image on a fresh drive and I'm almost good as new.

Actually, I can't do 3. and 4. above. TiVo software doesn't work properly with Windows7. I've been waiting for an update for six months.

Which leads me to a topic for another day... Why does software f#ck everything up???