TiVo software 4.0 includes support for wireless USB network adapters. The software rollout began on April 6th, though my machine only got the update a couple weeks ago. Since I have little use for a land line (other than for TiVo nighly updates), I decided to try wireless networking. The Linksys WUSB11 is officially supported, so I went with that. Sure, there’re reports of D-Link and other brands working as well, but they were all about the same price anyway.

So, the adapter arrived from Newegg yesterday and the install couldn’t be easier. There’re no drivers to install or configure, and the little guy gets his power from the USB port. So, I just had to plug it in :).

TiVo automatically recognized the device and I just had to confirm some settings (“obtain an IP address automatically&rdquo, and so on). Just to be sure, I selected the “Test Connection” option, and everything went fine. Haha, one less reason for a land line! (err, “one fewer”?)

I’m now tempted to sign up for the TiVo Home Media option ($99). It includes JPEG viewing and MP3 playing, but the big feature for me would be remote-scheduling. That way, if I heard about a cool show at work, I could schedule it right away. The only downside to remote-scheduling (according to what I’ve read on the TiVo Community forums) is that it doesn’t alert the user if there’s a conflict. Hmm, maybe it's not so useful after all.

Last Tuesday, I posted an invitation to see The Matrix Reloaded this Friday (May 16th), but there haven’t been any RSVPs so far. Was it not a good day, or maybe the location was too far? And without more interest, I may have to reschedule it.

If another day would be better for you, let me know. I’ve also noticed that it’s showing at Loews Cityplace as well, if that would work better (at the time of the original post, it was only listed for Loews Keystone at Fandango).

My family is going on a trip to Greece for two weeks at the end of this month for my brother’s college graduation. We’re leaving May 24 and returning June 10, but I’ll write more about the trip in another post.

So, I bought myself a new digcam with some of the proceeds from my recent freelance-to-hire gig (which is still on-going). The Nikon Coolpix 5700 is a 5.0 megapixel camera with an 8x optical zoom. I suspect that Nikon may be releasing a new camera to replace it over the summer since they’re currently offering a $100 rebate (c’est la vie).

So, I bought the camera and some accessories as well:

• I got the camera itself at Digital Foto Club. Cheesy name aside, they’re rated Platinum+ at ResellerRatings. I would have normally bought more than just the camera there, but their prices on accessories weren’t very competitive.

• Lenmar Mach 1 Speed Charger at B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio (who’s also Platinum+ rated at ResellerRatings, for what it’s worth). Purportedly, the Mach 1 can charge 850 mAh batteries in 30 minutes.

• Also from B&H, three Power 2000 Li-ion batteries (800mAh), clones of Nikon’s EN-EL1 battery. I figure that four batteries (these three plus the one that comes with the camera) along with the Mach 1 charger should allow me to get through two weeks of snapping photos in Europe.

• I also picked up a case at B&H, the Lowepro D-Res 30AW. This was recommended by some chums on DPReview’s forums for the Coolpix 5700. The guy mentioned that it was a snug fit for him, but that was with his “three batteries, a couple of filters and a couple of extra memory cards” (and I hope not to be carrying around quite that much in my camera bag).

• The camera comes with a wimpy 32 MB CompactFlash card, so I needed to upgrade that right away. Two 512 MB sticks from Crucial should solve that. (Hmm, are the cards still known as “sticks” even though they’re square?)

• And, I also picked up a USB 2.0 6-in-1 Sandisk card reader for easier file transfer. I almost bought Crucial’s portable 6-1 reader, but I then realized that it’s only USB 1.1. I ordered this guy from YesMicro (60 reviews and a perfect 10.0 at ResellerRatings).

And conveniently, I saw over the weekend that Half Price Books had National Geographic’s Photography Field Guide for just $10 (the list price is $25). I already had the original, but I picked up the other books in the series — “People and Portraits” and “Landscapes” (and there’re probably more copies still there).

I watched BASEketball over the weekend, recorded from TiVo. I had initialliy thought about inviting a couple friends over, but I soon realized that there’s not much to sit on in the living room (Jason took his futon with him when he moved). D’oh.

I had last seen it back in college, shortly after it became available on video. It was hilarious then, and still very funny today. It probably didn't help that I saw the Comedy Central version (or was it USA?). In particular, Trey & Matt’s colorful use of language was rather muffled in the tv version.

Yasmine Bleeth was pretty hot, or at least that’s what I keep trying to tell myself. Ever since seeing her mugshot on The Smoking Gun from when she was strung-out on cocaine, I keep seeing the zombie version of her face when I see her in films and tv. Yikes, that’s just scary-looking.

I found this recipe for Chocolate Peanut Treats on the chocolate-recipes mailing list (yes, a list just for chocolate recipes, heh). It sounds simple enough, and I’m tempted to try it sometime. I’m curious about what kind of texture it might have — whether it’d be chewey or more flakey (I suppose that depends on the ratio of graham crackers to peanut butter).

Chocolate Peanut Treats

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 12 squares)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter [I’d probably go with creamy]
• 1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Stir in sugar and peanut butter. Press into a greased 8 inch square pan. In a microwave or double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Spread over peanut butter layer. Chill for 30 minutes; cut into squares. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes longer. Store in the refrigerator.

I’m on the Penguins newsletter mailing list and I learned that they’ve lowered ticket prices (so often, it seems that sports teams just want to raise ticket prices).

In the D level, which includes 2,399 seats, the price per game for a full season ticket plan drops $9 — from $39 last season to $30 in 2003-04, a reduction of 23.1 percent.

In the F level balcony, which includes 1,112 seats, the price per game for a full season ticket falls $8 — from $28 to $20, a reduction of 28.6 percent.

The result is that more than 6,900 seats — 40 percent of the Arena’s capacity — are now available for $30 or less on a full season ticket basis. […]

Of course, most of the article talks about the reductions for season ticket buyers, but it also mentions that individual ticket prices will be lowered and that the new individual ticket prices will be announced over the summer.

It’s not often that I go to Penguins games, but that’s mostly because I’m so far away from Pittsburgh most of the year. All the same, perhaps I’ll try to fit in a Penguins game next time I’m in town.

According to researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine, some of old age’s mental slowdown may be reversible with doses of a neurotransmitter called GABA:

Macaque monkeys, with an age equivalent to 90-years in humans, were not as sharp as their younger counterparts in visual tests despite having perfect eyesight. But when they were given drugs to increase levels of GABA in the brain they improved vastly, say the team.

Delivering GABA calms the neurons down and they become more selective, says neuroscientist Audie Leventhal, at the University of Utah School of Medicine, who led the study. “They look the same as they did 20 years ago,” he says. […]

However, this somewhat glib portion was probably my favorite part of the article:

“It is counterintuitive to say that in order to make Grandpa faster, slow down his brain. Nobody was really thinking about giving tranquillisers to an 85-year-old to perk him up — which is the implication of the study,” he says. […]

I don’t often go to movies, but I’ve been looking forward to The Matrix Reloaded all year. It opens next Thursday (May 15th), but it may be a bit crowded on opening day. Perhaps the following day would be better.

An Open Invitation

I’d like to invite you to join me on Friday May 16th for eats at Fuddruckers followed by The Matrix Reloaded.

Fuddruckers - 7:30pm
Old Town Village Shopping Center
5500 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206

The Matrix Reloaded - 9:00pm
Loews Cineplex Keystone
13933 N. Central Expressway
Dallas, TX 75243

I recommend Fandango for buying tickets ahead of time. And, this link should point directly to the buy-tickets page for that theater & showtime.

Please RSVP by leaving a comment.

There’re Meetups for all kinds of things, but I’ve been mostly to Slashdot Meetups. I went to one Linux Meetup back in January (to California Pizza Kitchen) but there hasn’t been one since then (they’re automatically cancelled if less than five people sign up).

However, there’s another Linux Meetup tomorrow (Tuesday), at the Cafe Brazil on Elm Street. I'm not sure what I'll order, though I often order a make-your-own omelette with sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and chorizo sausage. Hmm, yeah, that could be good.

Jason moved out last Wednesday and I’m still looking for a roommate. I’ve posted an ad on CraigsList and also on several roommate-specific services (RoommateService, RoommateClick, RoomieMatch and RoommateAccess).

If roommate-finding were like fishing, you could say that I’ve had a few “nibbles” recently (some people have expressed interest) but not much beyond that (none have yet filled out a rental application).

However, if more than one person goes as far as filling out the rental application and would like to move in, what would be a fair means of choosing? Preference in order of when they first contacted me? Preference in order of when they sent in the rental application? Or something else entirely?

I don’t necessarily expect to have to make a decision, since some people will probably drop out of the running and I may end up with just one person in the end. But, I can’t rule out the possibility.