August 19, 2002

torrez.org: "People too often confuse the success of a site on the idea. They think that it's the great idea that's going to reign in the users. They worry about whether the idea is sound. They bounce it off of friends and eventually kick the idea around so much that the original motivation, to make something people want to use, is lost."

Or, as Steve Jobs said 20 years ago, "Real artists ship".

HUBBA HUBBA: This commercial for The Gap, featuring dancer Will Kemp, is almost enticement enough to get me to take another look at their hideously overpriced, banal clothing. Almost. I'd rather have another look at Will — when he's not wearing the clothing.

TIVO TIPS: Recently, I noticed that my TiVo hadn't been successful making its daily phone call to retrieve program guide information and software updates. The connection status screen indicated the TiVo detected no dial tone when attempting to call. And yet there was dial tone when I picked up the receiver. Browsing the boards at the TiVo Community site, it appeared I wasn't alone. Consensus seemed to be that the cause was either (a) a fried modem — which was a possibility since we'd had a rather wicked electrical storm just after the last successful call, or (b) some bugaboo with the most recent software update. I certainly liked option (b), since it didn't require a costly repair.

Turns out, it was simple to fix, by simply forcing the TiVo to do a hard reboot by unplugging it, pausing a minute or two, and plugging it in again. (This is the electronic equivalent of "jiggle the handle", handy in so many situations.) Using the software to reset the recorder won't do it. You have to cycle the power and force a restart. Five minutes later, I asked TiVo to make a daily call and voila: 14 more days of reruns at my fingertips.

NO CURE LIKE TRAVEL: Fares dipped a little over the weekend, so it appears I can now make my Fray Day 6 trip on my preferred schedule, with both arrival and departure at SFO. Of course, in the meantime, my schedule at home has hit a little glitch, but probably nothing to keep me from The City.

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