I'm too angry to write anything approaching coherence right now, so I'll fill in the details later. For now, I'll just post a quick opinion piece in case you, too, are planning to give a TiVo unit for Christmas this year: I absolutely hate this f!$%^ing thing.

More to the point, I'm having a hard time recalling a more disappointing and frustrating experience with any product to date. A hell of a lot of promise, but only with the right secret combination (or, of course, a POTS line, which I was prepared to expect for the initial setup, but was not willing to have installed for everyday use).

Thanks to everyone who responded to my recent questions concerning TiVo vs. ReplayTV, but for ReplayTV's sake, I sure hope many of you were wrong: I unpacked my new TiVo three days ago, and so far it's seemed the worst implementation of a great idea I've ever seen (And that includes Microsoft's Plug-and-Pray and Verizon's Bluetooth plan!).

Or rather, it's the worst implementation of an idea I have yet to see.

Long story short: I don't have the time to hang out at yard sales and swap meets comparing serial numbers on used USB adapters just to find all the obsolete, out-of-production networking components one needs to actually

make this damned thing work. Why a land line? No Vonage? And why will the Linksys WUSB11 Versions 1 & 2 work, but not the available Linksys adapter, version 4? (And for the record, 3 is iffy!) And why the Belkin 6050 but not the 7050? And the D-link 122, but not the D-link G122? Just how "universal" is your Universal Serial Bus, TiVo?

And has anybody at the company ever heard of a frickin' RJ45 jack? I understand some people use 'em for networking these days.

Oh well, the TiVo's back in the box for now, and I'll be calling TiVo service for an RMA as soon as I calm down enough not to scream at them.

OK, if this is the good one, I sure as hell won't bother with the competition. I'm off to return a half dozen useless wireless USB adapters now (wrong fourth digit in the serial numbers, I guess). Looks like I should pick up a few more VHS tapes while I'm at it.

Damn.

For a followup to this article, see this entry.

[Editor's note: The offers described here have expired. We're leaving the post up for archival/historical records only. Thanks!]

If you're looking for holiday gifts for Flash or ActionScript geeks, you've still got time — but not much — to get up to 25% off Binary or ActionScript Jabberwocky prints and other delightfully senseless gifts from the Turdware shops of Turdhead.com. Today is the last day to qualify for "Super Saving Shipping,"

though (Whatever that is… I just make the goods, I don't make the rules.)

To get the discounts, use the following codes when purchasing your gear:

• Orders of $20: Use "HOL5″ for $5 off
• Orders of $40: Use "HOL10″ for $10 off
• Orders of $100: Use "HOL25″ for $20 off

Sale ends Thursday, Dec. 8!

And now that the holiday ho'ing is out of the way, I guess I should note that work is also progressing well on the Ballistic Stroke game mentioned earlier. And oh yes, there will be T-shirts.

I have no pride.

As expected, the modest results of our little poll show mixed feelings toward the Adobe Systems Inc./Macromedia purchase scheduled for completion today. A lot of Macromedia-focused blogs are humming with anticipation tonight (There's a lot more interest than was evident

when Flash passed from FutureWave to Macromedia several years ago, for sure!), and well, I guess it's just time to wait.

By the time you're likely to read this, Flash and the other Macromedia Studio applications' futures will be left up to Adobe.

…

…

Feel anything different yet?

I look forward to your impending merger tomorrow.

And not to beat a dead horse, but, um… can I have my tabs back now, please?

Anxiously (and perhaps foolishly)

awaiting the antidote. Good luck!

Sincerely yours,

VeryVito

(P.S. No Yahoo! Toolbar stuff, either!)

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