This article seems to depic the tragedy that is becoming TiVo.  Like the authors comparision to Toy Story 2 - It [TiVo] may end up alone, forgotten, way up on the shelf.  In the age of renegading against the big guys like Microsoft, DVR owners don't seem to care if they are being had by the major cable companies.  They assume they have a TiVo or at least a TiVo-like piece of hardware but in reality they have a digital VCR that's just as dumb as a VHS recorder.  Also people gripe and complain about TiVo's monthly fee of $12.95 but don't blink an eye for Comcast's $6.95 fee.  BTW, with DirecTV the TiVo fee is only $5.00.

I read the guys article and I begin to wonder if/when I will hit the place to put my Tivo up on the shelf.  The difference for me will be  that I will most likely ditch TV all together unless I can have a time-shifting piece of equipment that can track down shows for me and not just record what I specifically tell it to record.

"...the actual DVR is an unsatisfying clone of my old TiVo. Its user interface is as intuitive as a game of bridge. The remote control looks like a space shuttle control panel. Bizarrely, to get to the actual DVR menu, you have to bypass the white “MyDVR” button and hit a small red button called “menu”—twice. And recording an actual series requires a dangerous quest through a subterranean network of screens. "

"...Comcast and Motorola don’t seem to have given the user experience much thought. Perhaps they didn’t need to. Companies have long used their superior market position to elbow out an innovative upstart—consider Microsoft and its tactics against the Netscape browser."

The Enterprise Library is out and ready for download.

The application blocks that comprise the Enterprise Library are the following:

• Caching Application Block. This application block allows developers to incorporate a local cache in their applications.
• Configuration Application Block. This application block allows applications to read and write configuration information.
• Data Access Application Block. This application block allows developers to incorporate standard database functionality in their applications.
• Cryptography Application Block. This application block allows developers to include encryption and hashing functionality in their applications.
• Exception Handling Application Block. This application block allows developers and policy makers to create a consistent strategy for processing exceptions that occur throughout the architectural layers of enterprise applications.
• Logging and Instrumentation Application Block. This application block allows developers to incorporate standard logging and instrumentation functionality in their applications.
• Security Application Block. This application block allows developers to incorporate security functionality in their applications. Applications can use the application block in a variety of situations, such as authenticating and authorizing users against a database, retrieving role and profile information, and caching user profile information.

Mark Cuban doesn't want much from his cellphone does he?  Or has he calls it..his "portable transaction device".  I don't rely on my cell phone like he does or like more and more people are but I can sure see the value of what he's wanting in the next generations of cell phone.

I was contacted by newspaper early this week because they are going to do an article on Geocaching in our area.  They asked if I would be interested in being interviewed and I happily agreed.

I did a phone interview last night with the writer and it's suppose to be in Sunday's paper.  It was pretty cool to explain to her how we do it and what we get out of it, both from a paerent's perspective and what we think the kids are getting from it.

I'll post a link if it gets online.

My wonderful wife has a great post on a Tech-Savvy Two Year Old...ours.  :-)

Funny how kiddos pick up on things so quick.  I'm beginning to see where my parents were coming from when they would say "we didn't have that back in our day" but it's just happening so much faster.  TiVo, Gamecube, XBox, Microwave, etc, etc, etc.

Ok, PVRblog has posted on Google's new video search.  Here is a test they ran for TiVo.  Is this any good?  I don't know you can be the judge of that.  Back in December I blogged about Blinkx video search.  Google has the power.

Ok, now I'm getting about 5-10 a day.  Small to some but still a hassle.  I've not done CAPTCHA yet (will soon)...I've had real work in the evenings for the last week or so and this weekend was time for the family.

Anywho, Brian pointed out that Ryan has implemented some other features along with CAPTCHA for the blogs over at The Geek Dojo.  He's using blacklists for IPs (says he's got some issues there though) and also a "spam sweeper" that will remove comments based on a keyword list.  I asked him to elaborate on the "spam sweeper". 

Update:  Found this post from Scott about using triggers to stop feedback spam.  Hrm..I'm guessing enough people are getting fed up with it.

I was shown this resource today though it was posted on 12/10/04.  Good stuff.

LEARN ASP.NET: Items of Importance in the ASP.NET World

I've got to talk about TiVo some more and how easy it makes to watch TV.  Plus if anyone is interested in Geocaching..please read on.

Two years ago I created an "auto-record, keyword wish list" for "Geocach*".  What this does (like with a search engine) will keep an eye on the show listings for shows who have the character string "Geocach" in either their title or description.  We got our first hit on 1/15 from the DIY Network.  It was "Family Outdoors" episode FAO-205 on Geocaching.  Please notice that today is 1/21, six days after it aired and gone off into the great airwaves in the sky.  I still haven't watched it yet but plan to this weekend.

I didn't even know DIY had this show.  In this episode they go through the Orienting the GPS, a Geocaching Primer, a family Geocaching adventure, and stashing a Geocache.  After I watch the show, if it's any good, I may put a season pass on this show since we like to do things outdoors with our family.

So, from having a TiVo with some logic I get to enjoy a show on a topic I am interested in that I wouldn't have even known was on.  In return, DIY has gotten me to go to their website to find out more about the Outdoor Family show, maybe get me to record the show on a regular basis, and at the same time get me see their ads on their website and some commercials in fast-forward.

I think that's a pretty good trade.  For anyone else that maybe interested it is going to be aired again on 3/26.