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Wealth Target Spreadsheet (Excel) Master Financial Spreadsheet (Excel) Master Financial Instructions (Word)
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What I Think I Know by Damien Del Russo
New project! Photos from our "Remember the 70's" event, as well as a Video! RC people, you'll need to view the video from home, as most people don't have QuickTime at work.
Maureen Dowd has a typical, annoying column reaching the wrong conclusions. Short response: It's called flypaper. And just as flypaper attracts but does not create flies, so our effort in Iraq attracts the militants while drawing them away from other areas. She hasn't been reading her Weekly Standard, has she?
Interesting "anti-worm" going around, automagically fixing PCs. It's funny, that's pretty much how Apple handles software updates, except it asks you first. I enjoyed the folks who said they thought the automatic Microsoft update was a hack attempt - I've done the same thing several times! It's because their "push" looks just like spam or a pop-up ad. Apple's Software Update looks, well, legitimate.
I met an interesting chap while walking with Artemis tonight. I was happy to hear that he fully understood the origins of her name, noting both the Moon Goddess and protector of nature roles. He also has an, uh, interesting website.
Some important information regarding, mainly, Microsoft Office products - read it, it probably affects you! Thanks to Cold Fury for pointing that out!
OK, tech for dummies day! No, really, this is simple.
Most friends and readers already know that I am a bit of a TiVo booster. It's not really TiVo in particular, but rather the concept of controlling how one watches TV - pause, record, rewind, commercial skip, etc. There are a variety of services offering these boxes now, including DirecTV, Panasonic, ReplayTV, and some cable companies (the devices are generally called DVRs).
To stay ahead of the competition, TiVo has added some new features. The newest to me is the Home Media Option, which allows one to connect their home network (wired or wireless) and access their computers via the TiVo. After a little setup, the TiVo contacts TiVo Desktop software on computers that are on the network, giving the option to view photos or listen to music from the computer. I wouldn't be surprised if sometime we'll be able to browse the web, open Word files, or watch video using the same setup - but for now, just music and photos.
Watching photos on the television is pretty cool. It's not as elegant as a slideshow in iPhoto, with the automatic crossfading and background music, but it is still handy for showing a room full of friends the latest photos. One feature I really like is that on the computer one can pick which photos are available to be viewed over the TiVo - this allows one to keep certain photos private. When letting someone access iPhoto directly, they can view any photo album, which can be, uh, embarrassing.
Music is even better on the TiVo. Since my setup feeds my TiVo into my home theatre system, anything I play through TiVo has great sound. I have access to all my music, which is the equivalent of a couple hundred CDs. Using playlists, you can make any sort of grouping you like. iTunes has "Smart Playlists" too, which allows one to create lists that automatically change over time - New Stuff is what I hit most often.
One feature I haven't seen documented yet is the ability to listen to any Internet radio station. In iTunes, you can set a playlist to be a streaming internet radio station. By then choosing that playlist in TiVo, you can listen to live radio from pretty much anywhere in the world right over your stereo system. My favorite is "Jazz with Jerry Dean" on Spitis of KJAZ from San Francisco. There are about a billion others to choose from.
The big flaw on Apple systems is that the TiVo can't play AAC songs. As I understand it, this should just require a software update to the TiVo Desktop, so it should be solved soon. It is definitely a problem though, as all new music from the iTunes Music Store is in AAC format.
One thing I really like about TiVo and Apple is that new features are being added to things I've purchased in the past - and the new features are things I want. The Home Media Option sells for $70, but I expect it will come free or for a nominal fee within a few months, as this technology becomes more standard (I'm on "free trial" right now). What's cool is that when they add video or whatever, it should be included in the package. Apple has mastered this strategy, sending me new versions of iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, Safari, and other products automatically, for no cost. These freebies make the Apple cost premium a lot more bearable. Good to see TiVo following suit.
Just to emphasize - the TiVo Home Media Option works with Wintel PCs too - no Mac is needed. It should still be pretty easy to setup, at least by PC standards.
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