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Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Hurricane in K-Town
Wow. That was a storm. So, while I and the rest of those in Clarence Brown Theatre were subjected to the horror of the movie "Brokeback Mountain", the rest of Knoxville faced a crazy hurricane of a storm. To the right is an artist's rendition (mine) of the storm.
First of all, I think 'twas the rest of Knoxville that got off easy.
I don't mean to step on any feet and I think that because of the "nature" of this film, that doing so is inevitable, but America is a free country and I can say what I like. If you don't like it, then, I'm sorry, that's just the way I think. Brokeback Mountain gets a big one star out of 10 and I strip it of all awards it has received. And it only gets that because of the filming. The director got in a few good camera angles and that was the saving grace from this movie receiving a big goose egg. It angers me greatly when movies such as this one sweep awards just because of its eccentric theme and "nature". That's really all I can call it. Had this movie starred completely straight individuals, the critics would have agreed. Google's collective rating was a 4.6/5.0 which I believe is completely bollocks. Some reviewers gave it 5/5, that's just ludicrous. Some referred to it as "a masterpiece" or "more than a gay movie". Those people are liars. The only reason this movie has received any publicity at all is because of its questionable content. The acting was fine, but Heath's voice sounded like he was holding rocks in his jaws. The music was so overbearing, that by the end of the movie, I wanted to choke that guitar player. I hope he was doing it for free, at least that would explain it. Although the movie's real running time was around 2 hours, it was soooo slow during 98% of it, it felt as if it would be morning when we got out. Waiting for any kind of actual content from the beginning of the movie felt like waiting in line at the DMV... endless, and since there really wasn't anything I in the movie, they had to waste time with empty scenes and way too visual "encounters" between the main characters. One scene, apparently showing the low budget (?) of the film has on of the set microphones fall into the frame? wtf? How did this POS movie win anything? Was it the "hot" stars? The nudity? The adultery? The horrible parenting? The domestic verbal and physical abuse? The gay encounters? I'm baffled by this. Spoiler:: In the end, Jake Gyllenhaal's character is murdered and covered up by the local Texans and that's when I started to rejoice... soon it would be over. :: All in all, the movie was about a complete lack of morals and how in the end, everything is alright, as long as you don't get caught. Hardly values to relay no matter what kind of movie. There wasn't any happy ending and there wasn't really any entertainment in between the credits and the title. Take it from me and don't waste your time with this horrible utter embarrassment to the MPAA. "I wish I knew how to quit you." I wish I knew how to forget you [the movie].
Back to the more pressing matter: The hurricane that hit Knoxville. Ok... so it wasn't a hurricane, but it was crazy. Trashcans were strewn everywhere, trash, rain, puddles, thunder, lightning, torrential downpours... you name it. I just wish I had been out of that theatre to see it. If I'd a known it was that good, I would have taken an extremely extended bathroom break to see it. Perhaps the worst damage from the storm is in the picture to the left. I wish I had had more than my phone camera to get a picture of it, but... oh well. I have drawn in the tree that is invisible in the picture. It really doesn't do the sight justice. It was so bad, that my UPS had to shut down my computer! Now you KNOW it was crazy. lol. I love thunderstorms.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Why TiVo When You Can Steevo?
If you haven't heard about the new craze, there is a huge fuss in the geek world with creating appliances that can view and record television. We used to call these TV/VCR combos, but no longer are they the topic of discussion. I'm talking about PVR, Personal Video Recorders, and they are becoming increasingly popular with the help of TiVo and other retail PVR/DRV/HTPC/Whatever new acronym they'll think up.
These pieces of equipment that you can pick up at your local BigBuy or ComUSA boast 40+ hours of digital recording from your satelite or cable and the ability to do X or Y. What they try to shove under the rug is the fact that they not only have a pretty pricetag with a large dollar figure, but that there is a monthly fee for their spectacular service (sarcastic).
Now, don't get me wrong, these devices are really neat and if you have the money, then grab you one and have fun. But for those like me (cheap, project-oriented, and tech-savvy), or those with the money and wanting to put their idle hands to work, there is another option.
What would you say if I told you that you could create your own "TiVo" for the same cost with better features and no monthly subscriptions? I bet you're saying "Wow, tell me more, Wes.", well, alright, I will.
The easiest way is also the not-so-much-fun way. You can easily buy a TV Tuner Card from an electronics store, throw it in an empty PCI and wam-bam-Bob's your uncle, you can watch and record TV on your current PC!
That may not be what you want. Especially if you are using that computer for other things (gaming, work, etc) plus, you'll need your "Steevo" to be on almost all the time to catch that late-night Dukes-Of-Hazzard Episode you missed. I guess if this isn't an issue for you and you like the idea, check out the PVR cards from Hauppauge. (They're at the top of the market at time of writing.)
If you want to get a little more in-depth with your DVR, digital video recorder, endeavour, then let's build one from scratch! It's simple. Here's what you'll need: A computer and a TV Tuner Card. Now, I now, that's vague, but here's where you're options come in. You can build any kind of computer you want past minimum requirements and you're good to go, but you may want go a certain route. You can get a small box to go along side your current living room e-vices or get a clunky large, 3-tuner box for multiple recording and shove it in a closet. It's up to you. XPC cases offer a small footprint and usually come with motherboards and accessories, so all you buy are drives (optical, magnetic), a processor, memory, TV Tuner card, and maybe a video card (some have onboard which may be sufficient). You just slap all the pieces together, install the software and bang, you're done.
Now... what software do you choose? For n00bies, go with the tried and true for you and install Windows XP Media Center Edition. It's 110$ for Windows XPPro and MCE (cheaper than XP Pro, I don't understand that) and it's got plenty of features for you. For others, you may choose to go the free route with Linux and MythTV or Freevo. Here is a guide to building a freevo computer with SlackWare Linux. There are also instructions for Fedora and MythTV.
Whichever way you go, make sure that your TV-Tuner is compatible! Look for the "Windows MCE 2005 Compliant" sticker, or that bttv or IVTV support your card for linux. It's makes the setup much easier and in most cases, possible! A page on the MythTV wiki prints a list of card selections for bttv.
I'll post more specific information as I delve into the world of PVR and try out the Linux side for myself. The Windows part really doesn't need any explanation. Just take their tour. It's really all plug and play n00b proof.
These pieces of equipment that you can pick up at your local BigBuy or ComUSA boast 40+ hours of digital recording from your satelite or cable and the ability to do X or Y. What they try to shove under the rug is the fact that they not only have a pretty pricetag with a large dollar figure, but that there is a monthly fee for their spectacular service (sarcastic).
Now, don't get me wrong, these devices are really neat and if you have the money, then grab you one and have fun. But for those like me (cheap, project-oriented, and tech-savvy), or those with the money and wanting to put their idle hands to work, there is another option.
What would you say if I told you that you could create your own "TiVo" for the same cost with better features and no monthly subscriptions? I bet you're saying "Wow, tell me more, Wes.", well, alright, I will.
The easiest way is also the not-so-much-fun way. You can easily buy a TV Tuner Card from an electronics store, throw it in an empty PCI and wam-bam-Bob's your uncle, you can watch and record TV on your current PC!
That may not be what you want. Especially if you are using that computer for other things (gaming, work, etc) plus, you'll need your "Steevo" to be on almost all the time to catch that late-night Dukes-Of-Hazzard Episode you missed. I guess if this isn't an issue for you and you like the idea, check out the PVR cards from Hauppauge. (They're at the top of the market at time of writing.)
If you want to get a little more in-depth with your DVR, digital video recorder, endeavour, then let's build one from scratch! It's simple. Here's what you'll need: A computer and a TV Tuner Card. Now, I now, that's vague, but here's where you're options come in. You can build any kind of computer you want past minimum requirements and you're good to go, but you may want go a certain route. You can get a small box to go along side your current living room e-vices or get a clunky large, 3-tuner box for multiple recording and shove it in a closet. It's up to you. XPC cases offer a small footprint and usually come with motherboards and accessories, so all you buy are drives (optical, magnetic), a processor, memory, TV Tuner card, and maybe a video card (some have onboard which may be sufficient). You just slap all the pieces together, install the software and bang, you're done.
Now... what software do you choose? For n00bies, go with the tried and true for you and install Windows XP Media Center Edition. It's 110$ for Windows XPPro and MCE (cheaper than XP Pro, I don't understand that) and it's got plenty of features for you. For others, you may choose to go the free route with Linux and MythTV or Freevo. Here is a guide to building a freevo computer with SlackWare Linux. There are also instructions for Fedora and MythTV.
Whichever way you go, make sure that your TV-Tuner is compatible! Look for the "Windows MCE 2005 Compliant" sticker, or that bttv or IVTV support your card for linux. It's makes the setup much easier and in most cases, possible! A page on the MythTV wiki prints a list of card selections for bttv.
I'll post more specific information as I delve into the world of PVR and try out the Linux side for myself. The Windows part really doesn't need any explanation. Just take their tour. It's really all plug and play n00b proof.
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