simplicity

We upgraded the Comcast DVR’s in the apartment a few weeks ago to TiVo and we’ve been having issues ever since. I’ve ran into some green screen issues, and the slow response time has been awful. So yesterday I decided to go to Comcast’s site and use their chat tool to figure out how we could revert back to the Motorola OS, I know I know, but the TiVo OS is awful. Anyways after being told that we needed to replace all four DVR’s I decided to ask the tech some questions:

Aakar(Wed Mar 26 2008 18:16:59 GMT-0400 (EDT))>

are you guys getting a lot of complaints?

Aakar(Wed Mar 26 2008 18:17:28 GMT-0400 (EDT))>

about the tivo

Thom(Wed Mar 26 2008 18:17:39 GMT-0400 (EDT))>

Many people expect the same features as the commercial Tivo units offer.

Aakar(Wed Mar 26 2008 18:18:06 GMT-0400 (EDT))>

well i mean, complaints such as the system puts a green screen on my tv and i need to reset the box. Or it’s slow

Aakar(Wed Mar 26 2008 18:18:11 GMT-0400 (EDT))>

or it’s not responsive

Aakar(Wed Mar 26 2008 18:18:34 GMT-0400 (EDT))>

i mean honestly it’s an abomination of engineering

Thom(Wed Mar 26 2008 18:19:15 GMT-0400 (EDT))>

I will be glad to pass along your comments. May I ask your permission to do so?

Aakar(Wed Mar 26 2008 18:19:22 GMT-0400 (EDT))>

Sure

I read “Bringing Down the House” during my senior year in college. It was a particular fun read and I’ve tried to pick-up all of Ben Mezrich’s books since then. The interesting thing about his books, while all based on true stories, they tend to have an almost Hollywood feel. The way he embelishes certain things or takes liberties with certain ideas. Anyways, now with 21 set to hit theaters and the idea of card-counting becoming mainstream you’re starting to see a lot of articles about the MIT blackjack team and card-counters in general. Here are two recent ones that I thought everyone would find entertaining:

Of Card-Counting, Startups, and the Real Story of the MIT Blackjack Team | Xonomy

Blackbook Easy Money | Men’s Vogue

SI.com – Tom Verducci: Restocking a Rivalry

SI.com – Writers – Mandel: Crazy first four days of NCAA tourney: Great piece by Stewart Mandel recapping the past four days (two-rounds) of the NCAA tournament. I attempted to think of a moment he may have missed, but I think he captured all the best moments of the first two-rounds in his column.

So how’s my bracket doing? Well not fantastic, but not awful. I think I’ll be fine if I go unscathed in my next few rounds. But in all honesty I could really careless and the reason being is that there’s a Cinderella that I’m currently rooting for: Davidson. If you’ve been paying any attention to the tournament you know that Davidson knocked off Gonzaga and Georgetown and that Stephen Curry scored 30 and 25 in the second-half of those games respectively. The team has been a lot of fun to watch and Curry puts on a hell of a show, so I’m hoping their little run continues. Maybe they can be this years George Mason.

Top 5 Reasons it Sucks to be an Engineering Student | Wired Science from Wired.com

Ouch. The games yesterday weren’t so nice to my bracket. I’m a little disappointed, but what can you do? Instead of going for so many upsets in the first round I should have stuck with the top seeds, oh well. The biggest loss yesterday was USC, because I had them getting to the elite 8. The game itself was pretty lopsided, USC made a run at the start of the 2nd-half but it didn’t hold up that long. Hopefully today won’t be as bad as yesterday was to my bracket.

But how about Belmont? It would have been amazing to see them beat Duke last night, even though it would have hurt not only my bracket but everyone elses bracket too. Did I mention I’m part of the large contingent of college basketball fans who hate Duke? No? Well now you know, and folks knowing is half the battle.

Shroff, Aakar [2:05 PM]:
fuck
Shroff, Aakar [2:05 PM]:
leads back up to 6
Shroff, Aakar [2:05 PM]:
down to 3!
Cali, Daniel [2:06 PM]:
49
Cali, Daniel [2:06 PM]:
49
Shroff, Aakar [2:06 PM]:
WOO
Shroff, Aakar [2:06 PM]:
tied! Georgia will take a timeout soon
Cali, Daniel [2:06 PM]:
52 49
Cali, Daniel [2:06 PM]:
xavier
Shroff, Aakar [2:06 PM]:
There we go

Shroff, Aakar [1:32 PM]:
This xavier team is looking awful
Shroff, Aakar [1:32 PM]:
fucking retards
Cali, Daniel [1:33 PM]:
yeah
Shroff, Aakar [1:33 PM]:
how are they down 9 points
Shroff, Aakar [1:33 PM]:
not boxing out
Shroff, Aakar [1:33 PM]:
11 now
Cali, Daniel [1:35 PM]:
that’s gonna impact my bracket if they lose
Shroff, Aakar [1:35 PM]:
their playing like royal douches
Shroff, Aakar [1:35 PM]:
their down 8 now…
Shroff, Aakar [1:35 PM]:
but are going to be back to 9
Shroff, Aakar [1:35 PM]:
cause georgia’s at the line
Shroff, Aakar [1:36 PM]:
never mind make it 11
Shroff, Aakar [1:36 PM]:
DOUCHES!
Cali, Daniel [1:38 PM]:
ha
Cali, Daniel [1:38 PM]:
word of the day
Shroff, Aakar [1:39 PM]:
Me and you could be on the court and play 2 on 5 better then these retards
Shroff, Aakar [1:39 PM]:
sorry sorry… these mentally and physically challenged morons
Shroff, Aakar [1:40 PM]:
i forgot retards isn’t kosher
Shroff, Aakar [1:42 PM]:
ahh sweet down 12 now
Shroff, Aakar [1:42 PM]:
morons just gave up a two pointer and a foul
Shroff, Aakar [1:42 PM]:
nice three-point play
Shroff, Aakar [1:42 PM]:
Georgia is looking good
Shroff, Aakar [1:42 PM]:
it’s unbelievable
Shroff, Aakar [1:42 PM]:
i didn’t think they could sustain this run
Cali, Daniel [1:43 PM]:
why dont u blog this

Wow – Crayon Physics Deluxe via blog.pmarca.com

If you have some time to spare and you are a Grand Theft Auto fan, I urge you to read the following two-part article:

Part 1: Grand Theft Auto: The Inside Story

Part 2: The Making of Grand Theft Auto IV

While there aren’t any new surprises in part 2 in respect to the game, it’s still a great read and helps to reinforce the idea that this very well may be the game of the year. Part 1 is a great look at the first few games in the series and how the Rockstar team created a brand new genre of games as well as the creative process behind them:

“I think what was very special about the GTA III development process � and it’s something we still cling on to � was the fact that ideas would come into the game from anywhere and everywhere in the company; it was the son of so many great minds and opinions and attitudes and energies, and everybody was just throwing it in the pot. It’s an example that’s been taken out of context in the past, but from a pure game-mechanic point of view, the fact that you could go with a hooker and then go and whack her and take your money back, just the game mechanics of that � looking at it completely isolated from the fact that it involves a hooker � were brilliant, I thought. And that was the contribution of just this one guy � that was his bit.”

The article also makes a point to discuss the fact that the main character in GTA 3 never spoke:

“That was one of those things where I think I only remember noticing kind of late on, like: ‘Fuck � he doesn’t speak’. And I’ve never said that to anyone before � I’m being honest here. But I remember thinking, well, it kind of works � who cares?”

If you can’t get enough of the GTA franchise or are highly excited about number four, I’d recommend finding some time to read this article.