I ran into an issue last night trying to download the latest Xbox 360 dashboard update. The first part of the download came through okay, the system rebooted okay, and then all hell broke loose. Okay, it wasn't really that bad, but the little WPA2 update for the 360 wireless adapter basically hosed my connection to my Airport Express router.
After 20 minutes of getting "can't connect to your wireless network" errors, here's what I discovered. My AE was set to the wireless mode "WPA/WPA2 Personal". With that mode, the 360 would not accept my network password at all, no matter whether it was specified in the WPA field or the WPA2 field. It just flat out would not connect. By switching the AE into WPA2-only mode, the 360 was finally able to accept the network passphrase.
I'm not sure why the old method didn't still work, but oh well. Hopefully this post will help some other poor soul who runs into the same problem.
My Mistress
I'm officially cheating. There I said it. I'm cheating on SmugMug with Flickr. Don't hate me.
But let me say this too before I go further. I love SmugMug. I always have, I probably always will. Sure there are some things with the service that annoy me (like that damn pop-out window when you hover over an image -- Argh!!!), but like any successful marriage, you take the good with the bad. With SmugMug, there is more good than bad, I think.
So, if I'm in love with SmugMug, why flirt with Flickr? The answer is that SmugMug has become a one-side relationship for me. I will continue to post every picture I take to SmugMug for safe keeping and for pointing my friends and family to. But I need more. I want to be a better photographer. I want people to comment on my pictures and tell me what they like or don't like. Sure, SmugMug has communities, but it's not the same as the social photo sharing monstrosity that is Flickr.
Therefore, I've decided to start posting a small subset of pics on Flickr too, just to see what becomes of it. I plan on redirecting everyone back to SmugMug for the larger versions, but hopefully this test will help me get some more exposure and improve my skill set.
If you want to check out all of the sexy, secretive details of my little affair, head on over to http://www.flickr.com/areichman.
But let me say this too before I go further. I love SmugMug. I always have, I probably always will. Sure there are some things with the service that annoy me (like that damn pop-out window when you hover over an image -- Argh!!!), but like any successful marriage, you take the good with the bad. With SmugMug, there is more good than bad, I think.
So, if I'm in love with SmugMug, why flirt with Flickr? The answer is that SmugMug has become a one-side relationship for me. I will continue to post every picture I take to SmugMug for safe keeping and for pointing my friends and family to. But I need more. I want to be a better photographer. I want people to comment on my pictures and tell me what they like or don't like. Sure, SmugMug has communities, but it's not the same as the social photo sharing monstrosity that is Flickr.
Therefore, I've decided to start posting a small subset of pics on Flickr too, just to see what becomes of it. I plan on redirecting everyone back to SmugMug for the larger versions, but hopefully this test will help me get some more exposure and improve my skill set.
If you want to check out all of the sexy, secretive details of my little affair, head on over to http://www.flickr.com/areichman.
Another Sunday Golf Disappointment
I really wanted to write something about Tom Watson's performance this week at the Open Championship. I didn't get a chance to watch until today, but I was pulling for him. I think I've been really sentimental lately about golf, in that I've really gotten attached to some of the guys in the finals.
On a few occasions, it was rooting for Tiger or Phil to come from way back, shooting a round that you'd never forget. In other cases, it was almost the same feeling I had rooting for Roddick versus Federer in the epic Wimbledon from a few weeks ago -- I wanted the underdog to win.
So in trying to figure out what to say, I came across this entry in ESPN's Live Blog:
--
Stewart Cink is part of a recent run of "party-pooper" major champions.
From ESPN stats guru Jon Kramer ...
2009 Open Championship: Stewart Cink beats Tom Watson in a 4-hole playoff after Watson bogeys the final hole of regulation. At 59, Watson was trying to win his 6th Open Championship and become the oldest major winner of all-time.
2009 U.S. Open: David Duval, ranked 882nd in the world, finds himself right in the hunt. But it's unheralded Lucas Glover who takes the title at soggy Bethpage Black.
2009 Masters: 48-year old Kenny Perry has his first major title in sight before bogeying the 17th and 18th holes in the 4th round. He goes on to lose to Angel Cabrera in a 3-man playoff that also included Chad Campbell.
2008 Open Championship: At 53, Greg Norman was trying to become the oldest major winner ever. Padraig Harrington caught him on Sunday at Royal Birkdale as he successfully defended his Open title.
One could make an argument that Tiger Woods was a party pooper by beating "Joe Golfer" Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open
--
I think that sums up pretty well how I feel. I think a lot of people, myself included, wanted Tom to win so badly that the loss kind of rips at your gut. It's like a bad breakup or something. In many of the cases listed above, I felt I was watching something magic on a Sunday afternoon, only to have the fairy tale end and then end up with the feeling that I just wasted an entire day watching someone I don't like win a golf tournament.
That's not entirely fair, because in today's case, Stewart Cink is actually a pretty likable guy. Unfortunately, he just wasn't the one that could have turned back the clock 30 years today.
Congratulations anyways, Tom. It was a lot of fun to watch.
On a few occasions, it was rooting for Tiger or Phil to come from way back, shooting a round that you'd never forget. In other cases, it was almost the same feeling I had rooting for Roddick versus Federer in the epic Wimbledon from a few weeks ago -- I wanted the underdog to win.
So in trying to figure out what to say, I came across this entry in ESPN's Live Blog:
--
Stewart Cink is part of a recent run of "party-pooper" major champions.
From ESPN stats guru Jon Kramer ...
2009 Open Championship: Stewart Cink beats Tom Watson in a 4-hole playoff after Watson bogeys the final hole of regulation. At 59, Watson was trying to win his 6th Open Championship and become the oldest major winner of all-time.
2009 U.S. Open: David Duval, ranked 882nd in the world, finds himself right in the hunt. But it's unheralded Lucas Glover who takes the title at soggy Bethpage Black.
2009 Masters: 48-year old Kenny Perry has his first major title in sight before bogeying the 17th and 18th holes in the 4th round. He goes on to lose to Angel Cabrera in a 3-man playoff that also included Chad Campbell.
2008 Open Championship: At 53, Greg Norman was trying to become the oldest major winner ever. Padraig Harrington caught him on Sunday at Royal Birkdale as he successfully defended his Open title.
One could make an argument that Tiger Woods was a party pooper by beating "Joe Golfer" Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open
--
I think that sums up pretty well how I feel. I think a lot of people, myself included, wanted Tom to win so badly that the loss kind of rips at your gut. It's like a bad breakup or something. In many of the cases listed above, I felt I was watching something magic on a Sunday afternoon, only to have the fairy tale end and then end up with the feeling that I just wasted an entire day watching someone I don't like win a golf tournament.
That's not entirely fair, because in today's case, Stewart Cink is actually a pretty likable guy. Unfortunately, he just wasn't the one that could have turned back the clock 30 years today.
Congratulations anyways, Tom. It was a lot of fun to watch.
Everyone Else Thinks Our Jerseys Suck, Too
According to this article on ESPN.com, the Sabres and Bills ranked 9th and 4th respectively on the suck-o-meter for uniforms in pro sports. It's pretty sad that both Buffalo teams ended up on this list, but I have to agree.
The worst part about this whole mess is that in both cases, it seems as fans like the throwback uniforms better. And in both cases, we are stuck with crap for the next couple of years at least. Oh well. At least for some games they both wear the throwback so it's not bad all of the time. Right?
The worst part about this whole mess is that in both cases, it seems as fans like the throwback uniforms better. And in both cases, we are stuck with crap for the next couple of years at least. Oh well. At least for some games they both wear the throwback so it's not bad all of the time. Right?
The Great iTunes Catalog Update
Man, I haven't blogged in a long time...And if I keep doing what I'm doing, I might not for a while again either.
After snagging a shiny new, abeit plastic, iPhone 3GS, I have a lot more space to fill on my phone now. I could simply copy my whole music library over, seeing as I have the space. But I'd like to do things a little more smartly.
I've been having this annoyance with my music library lately. Basically I'm sick of my music and I feel like I'm listening to the same stuff over an over.
So I'm embarking on a long journey whereby I'm updating the tags on my music. I've never used the Genre or Rating tags and I'm making an effort to do so now. I'm hoping in the end that I'll rediscover some music I had forgotten about. And ultimately, I'll be able to create some Smart Playlists with more randomized music for me to listen to.
It's a big effort (and I have a smallish 2500 song library), but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.
After snagging a shiny new, abeit plastic, iPhone 3GS, I have a lot more space to fill on my phone now. I could simply copy my whole music library over, seeing as I have the space. But I'd like to do things a little more smartly.
I've been having this annoyance with my music library lately. Basically I'm sick of my music and I feel like I'm listening to the same stuff over an over.
So I'm embarking on a long journey whereby I'm updating the tags on my music. I've never used the Genre or Rating tags and I'm making an effort to do so now. I'm hoping in the end that I'll rediscover some music I had forgotten about. And ultimately, I'll be able to create some Smart Playlists with more randomized music for me to listen to.
It's a big effort (and I have a smallish 2500 song library), but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.
The New Hotness
I had been eyeing it for a while and was planning all along to actually buy a refurb unit from apple.com. Well, it turns out I waited long enough for them to drop the price buy another Franklin, which sweetened the deal even more. The backlit keyboard on this unit is much brighter and consistent than that on my PowerBook, it's obviously much snappier with the upgraded hardware, and I love the new look of the black keyboard and screen. I'm really digging this so far.
As for my PowerBook, Craigslist, here you come.
The TO Experiment
It's funny how diverse the reactions have been to the Bills' signing of Terrell Owens. When Missy and I first saw the breaking news on ESPN, all I could yell was, "What!?!". I think it was just more shock than anything. I was just trying to picture TO living in Buffalo and wondering how bored he would be. Brent thinks he'll try to kill himself again halfway through the year after he realizes where he lives. Bflo Blog thinks TO will say things that make Willis McGahee look like he worked for the Chamber of Commerce. Personally, I just hope Lynch and Owens don't go on a shooting spree on Chippewa. Then they'll really have no place to go.
Most of my friends and family just sort of groaned when they heard the news. I think if you had asked me last week (or ever) if I wanted TO on my team, it would have been an emphatic "no". But after seeing it actually happen, I am actually excited. Why? They need a receiver to compliment Lee Evans and got a potentially huge player (if he holds up to his past stats) for cheaper than they would have gotten someone like Laveranues Coles. So I'm all for it. It's only a one year deal. TO has been good in the first year. I have no belief that he'll stay for more than one year or if he'll even last the whole year. But I'm okay with that.
Alot of why I'm okay with it has to do with the fact that at least the Bills are relevant again. The national media is talking about the Bills. And if Lynch miraculously avoids suspensions and Edwards doesn't get scared during a Monday night game again, the Bills offense could actually be good this year (don't we say something like this every year?). Maybe it will at least be fun to watch again, instead of boring me to sleep. I'm really excited to see if Evans and Owens, with a little Reed on the side, can destroy a defense now. Teams can't just double team Evans anymore.
And if this whole experiment blows up, what the worst thing that happens? They are simply the same sucky team they would have been without him anyways. Well, maybe the worst thing is that Chippewa shooting spree thing. But at least they are taking a shot now. And I applaud them for that.
And I have to at least ponder Missy's question: I wonder if we'll see him in the bars of Rochester during training camp?
Most of my friends and family just sort of groaned when they heard the news. I think if you had asked me last week (or ever) if I wanted TO on my team, it would have been an emphatic "no". But after seeing it actually happen, I am actually excited. Why? They need a receiver to compliment Lee Evans and got a potentially huge player (if he holds up to his past stats) for cheaper than they would have gotten someone like Laveranues Coles. So I'm all for it. It's only a one year deal. TO has been good in the first year. I have no belief that he'll stay for more than one year or if he'll even last the whole year. But I'm okay with that.
Alot of why I'm okay with it has to do with the fact that at least the Bills are relevant again. The national media is talking about the Bills. And if Lynch miraculously avoids suspensions and Edwards doesn't get scared during a Monday night game again, the Bills offense could actually be good this year (don't we say something like this every year?). Maybe it will at least be fun to watch again, instead of boring me to sleep. I'm really excited to see if Evans and Owens, with a little Reed on the side, can destroy a defense now. Teams can't just double team Evans anymore.
And if this whole experiment blows up, what the worst thing that happens? They are simply the same sucky team they would have been without him anyways. Well, maybe the worst thing is that Chippewa shooting spree thing. But at least they are taking a shot now. And I applaud them for that.
And I have to at least ponder Missy's question: I wonder if we'll see him in the bars of Rochester during training camp?
Death of the Aud
I was pretty shocked to see the state of the Aud last week when we went to Buffalo for the Sabres-Hurricanes game. You could practically see the orange seats from the road now.
So long old friend. We'll miss you.
Here's the rest of the pics I took during the game, which was probably one of the worst I've ever been to: Sabres-Hurricanes
Netflix in Front Row
The news of an add-on called (or by?) Understudy can easily be read elsewhere, but I wanted to add my thoughts since I didn't see too many others talking about using it.
First of all, it's not a full Netflix wrapper like those on a TiVo or Xbox 360 or Boxee. But I think it's a simple, clean way of getting access to your online queue.
In order to use it, you have to be logged into Netflix's site through Safari, since Understudy will pull your RSS feed data. Then, you can view and play your content like you would any other content in Front Row. You don't have access to edit your queue or anything like that though. It's just a viewer.
Once your content starts playing, it's pretty much full screen. There's a button for Full Screen play, but I didn't seem to have any mouse access to select it. I think it may just be there as part of the normal browser-based player that's getting crammed into Front Row. ???
Regardless, after 5 minutes of playing with it, I think I'll use this as my way of watching content on my Mac. I tried Boxee, but I don't like the fact that I can't get the Apple Remote to control the system volume in Boxee. The remote wants to control Boxee's volume, which on my system, results in the same output volume to my speakers regardless of the app's volume setting. So it's pretty much useless. With Understudy, since I'm in Front Row, I have full access to all of the normal Front Row functionality, including system volume.
First of all, it's not a full Netflix wrapper like those on a TiVo or Xbox 360 or Boxee. But I think it's a simple, clean way of getting access to your online queue.
In order to use it, you have to be logged into Netflix's site through Safari, since Understudy will pull your RSS feed data. Then, you can view and play your content like you would any other content in Front Row. You don't have access to edit your queue or anything like that though. It's just a viewer.
Once your content starts playing, it's pretty much full screen. There's a button for Full Screen play, but I didn't seem to have any mouse access to select it. I think it may just be there as part of the normal browser-based player that's getting crammed into Front Row. ???
Regardless, after 5 minutes of playing with it, I think I'll use this as my way of watching content on my Mac. I tried Boxee, but I don't like the fact that I can't get the Apple Remote to control the system volume in Boxee. The remote wants to control Boxee's volume, which on my system, results in the same output volume to my speakers regardless of the app's volume setting. So it's pretty much useless. With Understudy, since I'm in Front Row, I have full access to all of the normal Front Row functionality, including system volume.
I Heart Rivet
There's nothing I can say about the tragedy in Buffalo that hasn't been said already. I'll just add that my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected. May God give you the strength to heal and move past this.
I think Craig Rivet is everything the Sabres have been longing for during the past 1.5 years. While Pommer gets credit for the game tying goal with 3.9 seconds left, to me it was symbolic that it was Rivet taking that final shot against his former team when the city needed a hero and a fairy tale ending the most.
I think this guy has taken his team on his shoulders and has chosen to lead them. And I think he can become as representative of the city of Buffalo and this team as Lindy Ruff is. That role could have belonged to Briere or Drury, but they chose not to accept it. Maybe Rivet will.
I think Craig Rivet is everything the Sabres have been longing for during the past 1.5 years. While Pommer gets credit for the game tying goal with 3.9 seconds left, to me it was symbolic that it was Rivet taking that final shot against his former team when the city needed a hero and a fairy tale ending the most.
I think this guy has taken his team on his shoulders and has chosen to lead them. And I think he can become as representative of the city of Buffalo and this team as Lindy Ruff is. That role could have belonged to Briere or Drury, but they chose not to accept it. Maybe Rivet will.
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