4/28/2009 @ 10:16 PM in Blog > Electronics
Ok so I haven't updated in a while, but I've been really busy with a few projects which you may or may not see in the future. How many of you feel like you have disgustingly sick keyboards with hair, skin flakes, food, eraser bits, etc. stuck between the keys. Ever try to clean your keyboard with a paper towel or tissue paper? Fail. I know for me it doesn't take too long for the gunk to build up and I don't even eat by my computer that often. Here's a tip my coworker showed me. You can pop off the keys using a nail clipper and basically clean the whole thing. I was bored at 2AM after a night of coding so I decided to give it a whirl on my Logitech.
Don't look too close at the next pic because it's pretty nasty. I think you'd find Cheez-Its and parmesan Goldfish (my fav).
And the rebuild ... be sure you know where the keys go or make sure you have a reference keyboard! Haha.
The result isn't EXACTLY like a new keyboard out of the box, but it's close. I'll probably buy a new one anyway because I love the feel of a new keyboard.
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4/3/2009 @ 3:22 PM in Blog > Electronics
TiVo has been around for quite a while, but I never really saw the appeal or the benefit. It just really seemed way over priced for what it does. Now that I've had one for almost a year I feel like it's a life altering device (that is if you watch TV). Granted cable providers also provide this for a small fee (usually $5/month) the general concept and benefits are the same. Here's why ... remember all of these are based on the assumption that you regularly watch at least 1 show on tv:
Skipping Commercials
Even though tv networks forced TiVo to remove the "don't record commercials" feature you can still skip through them. This trims a 1 hour show down to just over 40 minutes. Think of how much time you waste watching commercials. Time is money!Never Miss An Episode ... Or Worry About It
My girl friend at the time (now my fiancee) actually bought me the TiVo with a lifetime subscription. The reason why was because we had dinner on Valentine's Day which ran close to 9PM so I had to rush her home to catch my weekly episode of LOST ... haha. With a TiVo you never have to watch the clock and remember to go watch tv. Or rush your Valentine's Day dinner to go home and watch LOST. Everything is at your leisure. This was a huge benefit.Record 2 Shows At Once
Ever have programs playing at the same time on different networks? Now it's no problem because TiVo has 2 tuners so it can record 2 shows at once! Now you can record Nip Tuck and Top Chef!Keep Shows For As Long As You Want
Or at least until your hard drive space runs out ...Stream Netflix
If you have a Netflix account you can stream movies (not all, but a good healthy selection). This is pretty cool when you're bored and you've caught up on all your recorded programs.
Ok so that's the good. And seriously all that good has really changed my life because it makes watching tv convenient and efficient. What more can you ask for. I would recommend a DVR to anyone. But here's the bad (not much):
A Bit Pricey
Ya it's a bit expensive, but if you're worried about it maybe go with the $5 monthly version your cable company provides. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but it should get the job done.You End Up Watching MORE TV
This may not be such a bad thing to some people, but I usually like to get work done at night. With a TiVo I think my number of regularly watched programs tripled.
Where to buy? Maybe try Amazon. Well worth it!