On Friday I finally broke down and went to get a Bell Expressvu model 5900 PVR satellite receiver. What's a PVR, you ask? It stands for "Personal Video Recorder." Like most acronyms, that probably doesn't tell you much more than you already knew. It's what a TiVo is, integrated in with our satellite receiver. It has a hard drive in it, so we can save TV shows in their direct digital format as they come down the pipe from the satellite. Then we can play them back later at our leisure. It also buffers whatever TV show you're currently watching, so you can pause live TV, back up to see something you missed, then fast forward through the commercial to catch back up to the live broadcast, etc.
To say this thing makes the VCR obsolete is an understatement. You can't even compare it to the difference between CDs and cassette tapes. That comparison applies to DVDs. The biggest drawback of DVD is that the recorders are very expensive, so most people only have DVD players. The PVR is to the VCR what television is to stone tablets. You don't realize just how convenient it really is until you use one for a while. It completely changes the way you watch television. Setting up a program on the VCR has always been a pain, no matter how easy they try to make the process. Part of that pain comes from the reality of dealing with tapes, and managing the stacks of tapes that hold shows you've recorded to watch later. Or at least we have stacks of them. You always had to plan out in advance what you wanted to record, and when, and whether you had enough blank tapes, and what else would be on that tape, and so forth. Now you just find something interesting in the guide listing, and pick it. Later, it magically shows up in a list of saved shows. Cool.
So if it's so cool, what took us so long to get around to getting one? It's just that I'm opposed to Bell's monopolistic price fixing policy. They've decided that the price for this thing is going to be $300, and nobody is allowed to sell it for less than that. They're the only game in town. They control the programming, so if you don't play by their rules, you don't get to watch TV. No third party hardware. You can't even use Dish Network hardware with their service, even though the hardware is actually identical other than the software load and the little logo sticker on the front. Nope, if you don't buy your receiver from Bell, they won't allow you to use it. It's like if Ford bought all the roads, and wouldn't allow you to drive your car on the road unless it was made by Ford and you paid full retail price for it new from a Ford dealer.
The security protocols I had to go through in order to get this thing were nothing short of ridiculous. I bought it from Future Shop. I had to show photo identification in order to prove that I was actually who I said I was. They looked up my account information on a secure Bell web site to make sure I had been paying my bills. Am I the only one who isn't crazy about Future Shop having access to everyone's account details with Bell? I had to sign two copies of a two-page form with a huge agreement detailing what I can and can't do with the receiver. And apparently, had I not called Bell to activate the receiver, I would have had a huge non-activation fee piled on my account.
By way of comparison, it took me approximately 10 times longer to buy a satellite receiver than it usually does to cross the border between the United States and Canada.
From what I've read in the various user forums online, all of this is to combat the piracy problem. Apparently people have a tendency to buy these receivers, hack in to them so that they'll display television without paying the monthly subscription fees to Bell, and then re-sell them on the black market. THE HORROR! I've also read that these precautions against piracy are in place because of pressure being put on Bell by the government ("we're here to help...") I can only guess that the government is squeezing the satellite companies because of pressure being placed on them by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) or the Canadian equivalent. Hollywood, in other words.
It amuses / depresses / concerns me that we live in a world where you can download instructions on how to make a nuclear bomb off the Internet (because the words are protected as free speech) as long as you don't actually do anything illegal with that information and knowledge, but it's illegal to even tell someone how to copy a DVD or watch satellite programming without paying for it.
But, anyway, after being interested in getting a PVR ever since they first came out a couple of years ago, and then realizing that we absolutely must have one of these one day after using my parents TiVo last December... the wait is finally over and we have one. Just in time for the fall TV season. Now if only we had any actual time to watch any of the shows we're recording... :-)
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Healthy eating
It's been a while since I've posted anything here. To be perfectly honest, I kind of forgot about it for a while. So, now that I've remembered, what's new and exciting, you ask?
Well, there's the Mad Max end-of-the-world gas price panic. See that post below.
We've also been continuing our quest to improve the health value of what we eat. Obviously we're trying to get rid of a lot of bad things. Some of these are easier to give up than others, but we're trying to limit the ones we can't quite seem to get rid of. Like chocolate. Still, we have managed to eliminate most of the dairy products we used to eat.
What's surprised me more than the things we've given up has been the things we've added that I never thought I would be able to eat. And I've actually been enjoying them. In the past few weeks, I've tried and liked lots of things I never would have touched as a kid. I've eaten entire meals made up only of things I used to hate. For instance, recently I've had smoked salmon, whitefish, yams, turnips, corn on the cob, cabbage, coleslaw, vegetarian pseudo sausages, salad greens... and I think a few other vegetables that I can't remember at the moment. I never used to eat any of this stuff as a kid. Yeah, I was a pretty picky kid.
I've also switched from coffee to tea. I'm still trying to move from the regular caffeinated tea to the caffeine-free herbal teas. Green tea is a good compromise. It has a lesser amount of caffeine to keep me from falling asleep at work, but also has lots of health benefits. The first time I tried green tea, I thought it tasted a lot like lawn clippings. One of the things about becoming health conscious is that you don't really change your opinion on whether something tastes like lawn clippings, but you decide that it's okay for it to taste like lawn clippings if it's good for you, and you therefore decide to drink it anyway. And maybe even learn to enjoy the taste of lawn clippings.
Well, there's the Mad Max end-of-the-world gas price panic. See that post below.
We've also been continuing our quest to improve the health value of what we eat. Obviously we're trying to get rid of a lot of bad things. Some of these are easier to give up than others, but we're trying to limit the ones we can't quite seem to get rid of. Like chocolate. Still, we have managed to eliminate most of the dairy products we used to eat.
What's surprised me more than the things we've given up has been the things we've added that I never thought I would be able to eat. And I've actually been enjoying them. In the past few weeks, I've tried and liked lots of things I never would have touched as a kid. I've eaten entire meals made up only of things I used to hate. For instance, recently I've had smoked salmon, whitefish, yams, turnips, corn on the cob, cabbage, coleslaw, vegetarian pseudo sausages, salad greens... and I think a few other vegetables that I can't remember at the moment. I never used to eat any of this stuff as a kid. Yeah, I was a pretty picky kid.
I've also switched from coffee to tea. I'm still trying to move from the regular caffeinated tea to the caffeine-free herbal teas. Green tea is a good compromise. It has a lesser amount of caffeine to keep me from falling asleep at work, but also has lots of health benefits. The first time I tried green tea, I thought it tasted a lot like lawn clippings. One of the things about becoming health conscious is that you don't really change your opinion on whether something tastes like lawn clippings, but you decide that it's okay for it to taste like lawn clippings if it's good for you, and you therefore decide to drink it anyway. And maybe even learn to enjoy the taste of lawn clippings.
Gas panic
It's been an interesting few days in Southern Ontario. It just illustrates what total lemmings people are. It's mass panic up here.
Why? Rumors of fuel price spikes due to Hurricane Rita. I have to admit, I'm not totally immune either. Last week I heard speculation that gas was going to hit $1.70 per liter, then $2.00, and then I heard to expect $2.50 per liter by Saturday afternoon (that's $9.45 per gallon). None of this materialized. I haven't seen one station actually charging above $1.04. In fact, prices seem to have dropped a couple of cents. There were a few stations out there taking advantage of the situation, but I haven't personally seen them.
How does this happen? All it takes is one jerk to trigger a chain reaction. Wednesday evening, one independent gas station in Chatham puts their price up to $1.76. Surrounding stations, thinking he knows something they don't (or just gleefully following along with the profiteering spirit), follow suit. Remembering a couple of weeks ago when the price went from $0.99 to $1.25 overnight, people panic and run to get to the cheap stations before the price goes up. They also call in to the DJs on the local radio stations, who in turn tell everyone in the broadcast area that gas is soon to be on the rise, so go fill up while you still can.
I have to admit that I also fell for it at first, and ran out to fill up both trucks, even though they were already nearly full. It took me a while to realize what was really going on, which amounts to nothing much. The more rational news outlets are reporting that we might see $1.20 per liter soon, but nobody but the idiot DJs on the local music radio stations are seriously predicting $2 any more.
I've personally seen lines to get in to gas stations wrapped around the block, although I've been avoiding getting involved in that mess. Many stations are running out of fuel. I've heard that actual fights have been breaking out in these lines over who gets to fuel up first. To illustrate the panic, read this message that came in from someone else on the Burlington Freecycle list:
Maybe I'll also post a nastygram to the inside of the fuel door telling would-be gas siphons to go steal from someone with a hybrid who can afford it. Or a Smart car. Hopefully they'll be too dumb to realize Smarts use diesel, which would serve them right.
Stories that came across the local news:
9/21 "Hurricane Gas Price Dilemma: $2 A Litre Possible"
9/22 "Motorists Brace For New Gas Hikes"
9/22 "Rumours Fuel Insane Gas Rush"
9/23 "Unnecessary Gas Panic Creates Chaos"
Why? Rumors of fuel price spikes due to Hurricane Rita. I have to admit, I'm not totally immune either. Last week I heard speculation that gas was going to hit $1.70 per liter, then $2.00, and then I heard to expect $2.50 per liter by Saturday afternoon (that's $9.45 per gallon). None of this materialized. I haven't seen one station actually charging above $1.04. In fact, prices seem to have dropped a couple of cents. There were a few stations out there taking advantage of the situation, but I haven't personally seen them.
How does this happen? All it takes is one jerk to trigger a chain reaction. Wednesday evening, one independent gas station in Chatham puts their price up to $1.76. Surrounding stations, thinking he knows something they don't (or just gleefully following along with the profiteering spirit), follow suit. Remembering a couple of weeks ago when the price went from $0.99 to $1.25 overnight, people panic and run to get to the cheap stations before the price goes up. They also call in to the DJs on the local radio stations, who in turn tell everyone in the broadcast area that gas is soon to be on the rise, so go fill up while you still can.
I have to admit that I also fell for it at first, and ran out to fill up both trucks, even though they were already nearly full. It took me a while to realize what was really going on, which amounts to nothing much. The more rational news outlets are reporting that we might see $1.20 per liter soon, but nobody but the idiot DJs on the local music radio stations are seriously predicting $2 any more.
I've personally seen lines to get in to gas stations wrapped around the block, although I've been avoiding getting involved in that mess. Many stations are running out of fuel. I've heard that actual fights have been breaking out in these lines over who gets to fuel up first. To illustrate the panic, read this message that came in from someone else on the Burlington Freecycle list:
Burlington....10pm....Petro Canada at Lakeshore and Appleby I just got gas for 99.6...the lines are there but not too heavy...only had to wait 10 minutes or so...gassed up the truck and a couple of cans as well...calling around for a locking gas cap tomorrow (and if I find one, I may just take the bus to pick it up)...hoping to find one...siphoning is happening...almost feels like a Mad Max movie...this is unreal...good luck folksI think locking gas caps might be a good idea. We were able to order one for the 2001 from Canadian Tire's warehouse. Apparently their computer says no Canadian Tire store in the entire chain has a locking cap for my 1995 Dakota. Maybe they just don't make them any more. I'll have to try other stores. I know these things aren't foolproof, and you can't really siphon from a modern vehicle anyway, but I figure it'll keep the opportunists from fooling around with it in the first place. It's as much of a psychological barrier as anything.
Maybe I'll also post a nastygram to the inside of the fuel door telling would-be gas siphons to go steal from someone with a hybrid who can afford it. Or a Smart car. Hopefully they'll be too dumb to realize Smarts use diesel, which would serve them right.
Stories that came across the local news:
9/21 "Hurricane Gas Price Dilemma: $2 A Litre Possible"
9/22 "Motorists Brace For New Gas Hikes"
9/22 "Rumours Fuel Insane Gas Rush"
9/23 "Unnecessary Gas Panic Creates Chaos"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)