CHRISdotTODD

I hooked up my new Apple TV on Wednesday, and have had a great time exploring all the content that it has opened up. Actually all the content was already available, but now I am spending the time to view it, because I can view it from the comfort of my favorite chair. And it took more no more than 5 minutes to get going. I like that I can easily view my favorite video podcasts (or listen to the audio ones) with just a few clicks on the remote. In addition, I can explore the iTunes store for new ones. Thinking about traveling to Europe? The checkout Rick Steves' video podcasts . Perhaps you want to see highlights from the Discovery channel , but don't have cable or satellite TV. No problem, there are video podcasts for that too. If you don't mind the low quality video of YouTube , using the Apple TV, it has never been easier to explore YouTube. I've watched many great clips from " Who's Line Is It Anyway? " to comedians such as Jeff Dunham and Jim Gaffiga

I first mentioned Skype in May of 2006 , and wrote about it a year later when I switched to Skype as my primary home phone. Though Skype has been great, I've gotten a little frustrated by being stuck to my computer to use the service (thanks to no T-Mobile signal for my cell phone in my new apartment). Thanks to my new Creative Internet DECT Phone I can now use Skype anywhere in and around my apartment. My new Skype phone was very easy to setup and start using. The first thing I liked was that the handset recharger (using the included rechargeable AAA batteries) is separate from the base station that connects to my PC (via USB). The handset is supposed to work for 10 hours of talk time or 120 total hours between charges, but I have yet to have a reason test that out. The handset feels good when you hold it -- it doesn't feel cheap, and the buttons seem to respond well. The handset also includes a speaker and a headset jack. I have used both for meetings, and they each worked

It was great to hear that the FCC is investigating Comcast for its disruption of BitTorrent traffic, but the developers of BitTorrent are not going to wait for Comcast to change its practices. The Developers of BitTorrent are building a new encryption layer that will work against Comcast and other ISPs techniques for killing the BitTorrent traffic on their networks. David Downs wrote an excellent article in the San Francisco Weekly that describes BitTorrent and how Comcast was thwarting BitTorrent traffic. Downs describes a visit from Peter Eckersley, a computer science Ph.D. candidate at the University of Melbourne, who works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation . Using Whiteshark, network monitoring software, Eckersley was able to show how Comcast was spoofing both ends of the BitTorrent communication to discontinue the BitTorrent file transfer. This is big in terms of Net Neutrality for all of us. This is more than an issue for users of BitTorrent! If Comcast can decide what

Ellen DeGeneres showed us just 2 weeks ago how far technology has come. Use the Hawaii Chair at work, and get in shape while you work. Don't believe it? Checkout Perfect USA where you can get the Hawaii Chair for under $300. If you bought this chair, I have a bridge for sale that you would be interested in.

Many of us are users of instant messaging (IM), whether through AIM (AOL), Yahoo! Messenger , ICQ (AOL), and even Sametime from IBM. We have also learned how to combine our IM clients into one interface using Trillian (Cerulean Studios) or Pidgin (open-source). But what we haven't learned is what do all the various emoticons (combination of symbols used to convey emotion in text) mean. Now you have no need to search further, as I have listed a few of my favorites here, and some links to sites that list several. Favorites: c^:3 mouse (:)-) scuba diver ((((your name here)))) hug (::[]::) band aid ~,~ napping @~)~~~~ rose or flower Emoticons Lists: Sharpened Glossary Wikipedia SearchMobileComputing.com A word of warning: Be cautious of programs that will give you graphical emoticons for your IM and email, as many load spyware when installing and monitor your Internet activities.

I found two new Firefox Extensions that are real practical, FoxClocks and Forecastfox Enhanced . During this time of year, the weather changes frequently, and what may be freezing on the west side of the city may be above freezing on the south side. With Forecastfox Enhanced, I can get a look at the forecast and weather radar for myself. Forecastfox Enhanced gets its weather feed from AccuWeather.com . You can run Forecastfox Enhanced in several different ways including in the browser status bar or in a toolbar. When displayed, you can configure it to give you more detailed information by simply hovering over the top of the forecast. It also quickly shows you an updated weather report automatically each time it is updated (time between updates is adjustable). If you're like me, I work with folks from all over the world. I had been using a Yahoo Widget to track the time in various locations, but it was not configurable to meet my needs. Using FoxClocks, I can configure the cities

Unless you follow the NBA or are a native to the Portland area, it's likely you did not hear about this creative promotion. The Portland Trailblazers went the extra mile, err extra $15,000, to promote their star guard Brandon Roy in hopes of getting him selected into the NBA All-Star Game. The Blazers sent all Western Conference coaches, who vote for the All-Star reserves, an iPod Nano that was customized to be all Brandon Roy . Seeing how this was such a cool, new idea, they also sent out several to the national media (even though they didn't have a vote). Here's what the "iRoy" consisted of: 8 GB silver video iPod Nano #7 Brandon Roy, Special All-Star Edition etched on the back An "iRoy" cover that slides over the usual packaging A picture of Brandon Roy over the iPod video screen that must be removed before the initial use Complete iRoy instructions Preloaded highlights and coaches testimonials of Brandon Roy I know some of the media felt compelled t

I have always waited for prices to drop on computer games before I buy them -- not only is it easier on the pocketbook, but I can be sure my system will run them (see requirements below). I typically look at what Target and Fry's has to offer, and I recently found a great RPG, Sacred. Not only was it just $10, but PC Gamer named it RPG of the Year in 2004. Sacred is a Diablo style RPG with three ways to play: Hack and Slash (1 player) Cooperative multi-player (up to 4 players) LAN & Internet play (up to 16 players) Now I have just played the Hack and Slash, but then again I want a game that has an ending. Sacred is divided into 4 Acts (see the Sacred website for descriptions of each Act), with about 15 hours of game play each. That number can go up or down depending on how much time you spend on the 200+ side-quests. I am now in the middle of my second time playing, with my second character. Sacred offers a total of six different characters to choose from: Dark Elf: Using e

We're just a little more than a year away from the end to analog TV broadcasts. After February 17, 2009, your old analog TV will no longer be able to pickup analog TV broadcasts, as the government is freeing this bandwidth up for new usage. There are many options for your old TVs, if you're not ready to replace it. You can apply for a $40 coupon from the government to go towards a digital tuner. Go to the TV Converter Box Program website, ran by the Department of Commerce and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to find out more -- you have until March 31, 2009, or until coupons run out (the site does not list how many coupons are available). The TV Converter Box Program website is full of good information (try the FAQs ), as well as there are many other sites with good information. You might start with the Dallas Morning News' Tech Writer, Andrew D. Smith and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association . If you have cable or satelli

I was working through some what-if analysis in Excel, and I wanted a simple way to adjust some values within my calculations based on input from my colleagues. I did my typical spreadsheet creation, section for input values and sections for outputs, and a graph of the output. Now I wanted my graph to update whenever I changed the input values. I could easily type in a new value, but that quickly got tedious. Using Data Validation , I was able to create drop-downs for the inputs that frequently might change. Here's how to do it. Create your worksheet, with a section that lists your input values In a new column, list the values you want in the drop-down (it must be on the same worksheet) Put your cursor in the field where you want the drop-down and go to Data | Validation... On the Settings tab, select List from the list labeled Allow Also on the Settings tab, click the table icon next to the Source field and highlight your list (step 2) Press Enter to accept Click OK With the n