Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Miscellaneous: Digital Video Recorder

Rosemarie here.

The cable guy hooked up the DVR yesterday. My first test was recording the Mets game for Vince. Luckily they won, so I didn’t have to erase it and think of something else.

I think the DVR is going to come in handy, especially for channels like BBC America. Good shows - many, many commercials. Many of the same commercials repeated endlessly. But with the DVR and a little prior planning I was able to watch both episodes of The Benny Hill Show without once watching the mineral makeup ad. Make no mistake, I’m sure it’s a fine product (even though it only comes in 4 shades) but I did get the gist after the first 50 viewings.

TV: ESPN Bowling Night

ESPN is now a partner with the Professional Bowlers Association and is slowly integrating bowling into their line up. They even had the bright idea of an original show where professional athletes bowl in one of those “fun” bowling alleys with music and distracting lighting. I kind of liked it. It’s always nice to see worse bowling than my own. But why, oh why, was the mighty Brandi Chastain wielding only an 8 pound ball? I was rolling a 12 pounder in ninth grade when I looked like the love child of Olive Oyl and Joey Ramone. Only skinnier.

TV: On Demand: NFL Receivers Wide Open

There are times you don’t want to read a book, commit to a movie or watch a lame sitcom. And it's then that an hour of football history, highlights and interviews hits the spot. Plus, the NFL Films’ 35mm highlights make it look like you could catch the ball yourself, if only Terrell Owens wouldn’t keep getting in the way.