I can imagine. How many did you have to sign?

But those of us who actually bought subscriptions for the original IDW run get no signatures, is that the story here Doctorow? Yeah, real nice man, I sure feel appreciated. ;-)

I continue to be a huge fan of my TiVo HD, although I would point folks to my two previous posts here at BoingBoing on the item.

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/03/05/morning-tech-deals-h-114.html#comment-137086

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/16/microsoft-and-nbc-en.html#comment-189579

The TiVo HD is (in my opinion) the best DVR out there for consumers. Yes, you can get greater functionality out of some of the PC-based software DVRs out there, but as a consumer product, this is the answer for those who want simple, easy-to-operate HD DVR technology. The product is literally simple enough that my 4-year-old can work through the menus and play his favorite shows.

However, you need to know what it is you're getting, and I hope my posts above will help that.

-Reed

Always a pleasure to throw-in with you guys, Joel.

When do I get my own byline, anyway? :)

Joel - this is one of those rare times I have to recommend against a one of your "deals of the day".

As much as I'm a huge fan of Acer's laptops (particularly their widescreen units), I've had bad luck with their monitors lately.

Specifically, I had the 19" version of the Acer LCD that's listed here as a refurb from Dealnews, although I bought mine new. It lasted exactly one month more than the 1 year warranty and died.

Considering it was on my occasionally-used MediaCenter PC (I use a different machine for my work), and that I have everything set for strict power management (so the unit was actually in use/had power applied for maybe 1 hour a day, probably less), leaves me to say I really can't recommend their LCDs.

I'm not surprised they have refurbs available - if my experience was typical, you'd certainly have plenty of people like me shipping them back. Add the fact that they offer no warranty at all on the refurbs, and I'd definitely steer clear of this one.

-Reed

As much as I'm a big fan of Weezer, I have to agree here - BNL did it first, and I think did it better.

Unfortunately it's not just Microsoft imposing this sort of a limitation:

As I've mentioned in a previous posting here on BoingBoing, I own both a TiVo HD and a Vista PC with an HD tuner card (http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/03/05/morning-tech-deals-h-114.html#comment-137086), but I primarily use the TiVo, due to the superior user interface (my four-year-old can navigate it) as well as the "TiVo Suggests" functionality.

However, I was disappointed to find when I upgraded from my old TiVo Series 2 to the TiVo HD that the TiVo company has also apparently bowed-down to the media companies, and is now allowing "broadcast flag"-like limitations on some programming (and not only HD programming).

The TiVo HD will record the programming (which you can still watch and keep on the TiVo so long as you like), but at the whim of the broadcaster will then block your ability to transfer the program from your TiVo to your PC, where you could of course do something horrible like burn it to DVD in case you wanted to keep a copy to watch later on another TV.

I've run into hundreds of programs with this limitation just since I got the TiVo HD back around the end of 2007, and none of these were on the broadcast networks - it appears for example that the "MPLEX" channel, which shows only old movies, sends out this limitation on all their programming.

I'm looking at my list of shows currently stored on my TiVo right now, and I've got three Sherlock Holmes movies, all with copyrights between 1940 and 1959, all of which were recorded from MPLEX, and all of which are locked from being transferred.

On the other hand, I also have a bunch of programming from Turner Classic Movies (who I assume has to be considered a direct competitor to MPLEX), and none of their programming is flagged to prevent transfer.

So it isn't just Microsoft doing this with Vista - TiVo is allowing the cable networks to impose these sort of limitations too.

My home is about a mile from the "Old North Bridge" in Concord, MA. (Yep, "The shot heard round the world", etc. etc.)

There are no less than six roadside "honor system" stands within a five-minute drive, offering various things like home-grown produce, home-farmed honey, and cut firewood.

The produce stands generally start showing-up every year in the late summer/early fall as people's gardens start to harvest, and stay open so long as they've got produce left to sell.

Considering these same families run these things year-after-year, and always just run them by leaving their "merchandise" and cash box unattended next to the road, I'd have to say such honor payment systems work quite well.

Needless to say, this is a suburban/semi-rural setting, so YMMV elsewhere.

"24 hours this company exists"...

I doubt it will take that long for the Bringers of Death who are the Apple Legal Department to shut them down..

There's also been one of these in the Boston area for about ten years now. Currently operates under the name "AMC Premium Cinema", in Framingham, MA.

http://www.moviewatcher.com/theatres/theatre_information.jsp?unit=816

Full bar with beer and cocktails, restaurant area outside the theater space with better-than-decent bistro-style food (which they will deliver to your theater seat if you wish), leather reclining seats and two-person couches with tray tables, stadium-style seating, full THX-certification, no one under legal drinking age permitted (was fantastic to be able to see the Lord of the Rings trilogy without any kiddies making noise).

Theater itself is only about sixty seats or so, so you really need to make reservations for weekend showings.

Been there many times - it is a pretty great way to take your wife out on a date without the kids (or dealing with anyone else's kids, for that matter).

To answer #6 above - once the previews have ended, they stop waiter service in the theater, most likely I'm sure to avoid the noise problem you mention. You can still get full restaurant service, but you have to go out into the restaurant area yourself and get it.

As a dedicated fan of my TiVo, I finally moved my three-year-old TiVo Series2 (single tuner) down to my kid's playroom, and bought myself a TiVo HD back at the holidays last year.

I can definitely say that if you don't own an HD DVR yet, or if you're running one of the cable company DVR units, you really have to look at what the TiVo HD can do.

However, just a few bullet points about things I've learned since getting my own TiVo HD:

- Yep, works great, really pretty much identical user interface to the Series2 systems, but be sure to follow the instructions and download the latest firmware to get all functionality.

- Sometimes you can transfer recorded programs to your PC and burn them to DVD, sometimes you can't. It depends if the network showing the program enabled the "broadcast flag" or not, because TiVo won't allow you to transfer programs that have the flag set - and no, there's no way to know which programs do, and which don't, until you actually go to your PC and try to transfer them.

- The TiVo HD supports a maximum HD resolution of 1080i. If you are determined that you refuse to watch programs in anything less than 1080p (and I actually know someone who sent his TiVo HD back because of this), you're going to be disappointed, and I wouldn't buy the TiVo HD. Personally, I'm watching it on a 42" plasma TV, and the 1080i is more than fine - crystal clear, to my eyes.

- Yes, you can transfer video from your PC to your TiVo and watch it there. The TiVo Desktop software will do this, but personally I prefer the "pytivo" opensource app.

- If you're going to connect the TiVo to a wireless network (either 802.11b or 802.11g, TiVo doesn't have support for 802.11n yet), be sure to buy TiVo's own wireless adapter.

- The build-in 160GB internal drive in the TiVo HD can only hold about 20 hours of HD programming, which I rapidly learned isn't much. You can either let the box automatically erase shows you haven't watched yet to free-up space, or you're going to want to buy the external harddrive expansion kit (info is available on TiVo's web site, and I believe you can also pick the drive up at most BestBuy stores). The TiVo HD has an eSATA port on the back for which at present there is only a single, specific 500 WD drive that's been certified for use by TiVo HD. There's discussion on the forums that other eSATA drives apparently work, but you aren't going to get support from TiVo if you buy one they haven't certified.

- Be aware that the TiVo HD supports the CableCard specification, so it works great without a cable box. The only limitation is that CableCard itself does not support pay-per-view movies, so for example there's no way to watch Comcast "OnDemand" through the TiVo HD. TiVo makes up for this to a certain extent by offering Amazon Unbox, so you can buy and watch movies through that offering via the Internet (right from the TiVo itself, once you've given it your Amazon account info), but if you're a big fan of the cable company's pay-per-view, you're going to also want to keep your cable box, hook the cable box and TiVo both up to the cable feed, and run them through separate inputs into your TV.

- I should mention I also have a fairly new Vista-based HP Media Center PC with an HD tuner card, but I just find the TiVo user interface and overall utility to be superior, and the "TiVo Suggests" function is the greatest thing ever. If you don't have a lot of time to watch TV (and I don't), knowing that you can turn on your TV at any time, and chances are your TiVo has automatically recorded something you never heard of before that you're going to enjoy, is a wonder.

Whoops, wrong link. That's just the video itself, this one explains how they did it:

http://www.youtube.com/v/3Et_LsxlX8Y

I too remember the HBO intro as being an actual model filmed using a camera on a boom system, and after some quick Google searching, it appears my memory was correct:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3734465955453312414&q=hbo&total=14336&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

"and writhing for two or three days in a yurt while your intestines are inexorably polished to a mirror finish."

Joel - funniest single thing I've read in a long time. Had me laughing yesterday afternoon and again this morning when I re-read it.

-Reed

RE: "reflection of my nude, hairy body reflected in the piano's black finish by streetlight."

Joel, dude - that is just so very, very, very wrong.

Hey Joel -

I'm a long-time big fan of Pavilion desktops (honestly, who has the time to build PCs themselves anymore, when you've got toddlers to chase around!), and had bought the immediate predecessor model of this system just back in April, the Pavilion m8000e (which was a dual-core AMD x2 64, but they also sold it with a dual-core Intel).

I beefed-up the video card when I ordered it from HP, but other than that, have pretty much nothing but good things to say about it, so if someone's looking for a really good multimedia PC at a reasonable price (I've got mine hooked for video to both Comcast Digital Cable and a pair of rabbit ears for "over the air" HDTV), and that makes for an all-around "good for just about everything system", I definitely recommend it. Use mine for my work, some gaming (although I am not a hard-core gamer, admittedly), lots of video and photo editing for my kids, burning DVDs, etc.

I suppose if I have anything bad to say, it's that HP uses a big chunk of the internal space for their removable harddrive bay in these "high-end" Pavilions (and for which only they sell the removable harddrives). I'd be happier having that space used for two standard 3.5" internal drive spaces, but that's a pretty small quibble, in these days of "cheaper than dirt" external USB drives.

Oh, I'm not sure if the other name-brand manufacturers are doing this now too, but HP's current standard keyboard is god-awful. It must cost them about $1 to make - flat "chicklet" keys, no rebound, the whole works. Ran out and bought myself a Logitech as soon as I unboxed and tried it, gave the HP keyboard to my kids to beat-on.

Wow, that's fantastic Cory. I'm putting my order in now.

-Reed