For the TV watching I do, the network broadcasts are more than enough. However, I refuse to follow TV schedules.

Hulu is great but I want better quality, smoother playback, and to watch on a big screen.

Last December, during the holiday season, I setup a media center.

Last night I added a $29 TV tuner I got from NewEgg, the UB435-Q from Kworld. It took me all of 10 minutes to install.

The media center in Windows 7 did the rest. I automatically had a program guide. I automatically had recording. What is more, media center has many more features than I need.

The amount of functionality I got from 15 mins of work is amazing. How often does everything work right and exceed your expectations?

The best part of my setup? I have no monthly fees. Everything is free. The signal is the public broadcast. The media center is free as part of Windows 7. The recording goes to my Terabyte drive. I have full control, great software, and no monthly fees.

I am happy :)

"Code Speaks Louder than Words" often attributed to Google

"Coding is quicker than consensus". Great quote from Clay Johnson

The traditional hardware company is no more. I knew that IBM has been moving to software and services for some time. However, I had not seen the current numbers. Clearly, software and services is where the fun is :) 

The image below is from today's IBM's SEC document

I live and breathe the “Web 2.0” life. Most of the applications I use on a daily basis are web applications. Moreover, every time I get the chance to swap a desktop application for a web one, I jump at the chance. Screen Toaster for screencasts is my latest.

For the most part, the web apps give me increased reach, portability, and robustness.

Today’s Gmail down time left me without email. Not really, I mirror my mail on a couple of locations. However, the service interruption completely altered my workflow and personal work rhythm.

I was stumped for a bit. What do you do when Google does down? I never thought it would impact me.