To Sling or not to Sling

I am pondering how to get the best out of my television. I like to watch tv, but it seems like I am never available when the stuff I want to watch is on. For awhile I have been using my DVD recorder to record the programs I am interested in. I then watch the disks when I want at home or I sometimes take them to the gym with me and watch them on my portable DVD player. However, I am looking for a better solution.

I am thinking about getting a Slingbox which is a device that streams your tv’s programming and allows you to watch it where you want, on your: tv, computer or mobile phone. All you need is a high-speed internet connection for it to send you the content you want to watch. An attract feature is that there is no monthly fee. However, Slingbox does not record the streaming video so I am not sure this the solution to my problem. I guess I will keep pondering. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

Best Buy & Carphone Warehouse

Last week, Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse announced a new joint venture extending their previous partnership. Carphone Warehouse is the world’s leading cellular phone provider. According to information released by Best Buy, they are planning on having Best Buy branded stores and websites in Europe in 2009. This new endeavor will allow Best Buy to benefit from Carphone’s tremendous knowledge, which I think this is totally awesome. I look forward to seeing the two companies work together to fulfill European customers’ technology needs.

Satellite Radio: Nostalgia vs. Time-Traveling

I currently have both Sirius and XM satellite radio. I have been listening to Sirius for years. I recently bought a new automobile and it came with XM. I always assumed they were basically the same. Well, I was mistaken. They both have some nice benefits. I enjoy listening to older music. While both Sirius and XM provide this music, they do so in different ways. It appears to me that Sirius plays more well-known music while XM plays a wider selection of music from a specific genre. So for example I like to listen to the 1950s channel. On Sirius they play the major hits by the well-known artists of the period whereas on XM they play a wide assort of music from the time period that is less well-known. Listening to XM makes me feel like I am listening to a radio broadcast from fifty years ago. Great music, but I only barely recognize the artists and they play few hits. Sirius on the other hand appears to play a smaller assortment of music, but I recognize the songs and the artists. It’s cool that for right now I have both Sirius and XM so I will continue to listen to the different versions of satellite radio depending on what I am in the mode for: time-traveling with XM or listening to old familiar favorites with Sirius.

Electrolux

Best Buy recently started carrying Electrolux appliances. That is way cool. Electrolux was founded almost a hundred years ago in Sweden. I am in the process of furnishing my new place and I am totally psyched at having Electrolux appliances as an option to purchase. I am looking for a modern look in my new place and I think Electrolux products are very fashionable. I especially like their stainless steel. It looks very clean and crisp. I think when I decide to redo the kitchen in my new place I will want to go with stainless steel.

Maintaining Connections Through Technology

Relationships are the most valuable asset in life. They are the currency of emotional well-being. Too often we neglect our personal relationships due to work, stress and the demands of modern life. However, to assist me in staying connected and maintaining important relationship bonds I maximize the plethora of technology tools that are available.

Human Innovation: The Epiphenomenon of Multilayer Computer Communication

In my spare time I am working on my doctorate. I have been doing this for a long time. It is a very slow journey. Over the past decade I have witnessed how the education industry has changed. I am sure we all remember the days of going to school with pen and paper in hand ready to regurgitate whatever the all knowing teacher told us. However, that is not the world we live in anymore.

Education occurs in a multifaceted manner in a multitude of ways. While teachers are still tomes of knowledge, they are no longer the only standard bearer of it. The interactivity of the web has created the ability for people to collaborate together on a scale never seen before in human history. Technology has ushered in an evolution of knowledge transmission. Knowledge and information are no longer only imparted in a uni-directional manner, one of static dogmatism. Rather knowledge creation is a by product of the interaction of individuals who collaborate online together.

Interesting…the new manner of human relationships is an unexpected epiphenomenon of bits and bytes flying back and forth on the super-highway of human ingenuity.

A Snowy Start to Spring

Yesterday was the first day of spring. The snow had begun to melt revealing the half dead, dark green grass that had clung to life through the long, cold Minnesota winter. Being that I grew-up down south with minimal seasons, I watch this phenomenon carefully each year. Spring brings with it a renewed zest for life.

Of course, today was ushered in with a major snowstorm! Nothing says spring like six to eight inches of snow! Well, I guess that’s Minnesota for you. While driving to work this morning it almost felt like I had to use GPS to find my way out of my apartment’s parking lot! At least the drive in wasn’t that bad.

I am looking forward to the weekend. With all this snow I am hoping to take some digital pics.