Tivo and Netflix get married
Looks like you’ll be able to download movies your Tivo, thanks to a new partnership with Netflix. No more fiddling with clunky DVD’s. Just pick the movies you want to watch and they are sent to you over the Internet to your Tivo.

VOIP
Heard of VOIP? NO??? VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet (Protocol). Basically this technology allows you to make quality “phone” calls over the Internet for free. As time goes on more and more homes are outfitted with super high bandwidth Internet connections. At the moment this means DSL and cable, but soon it will mean fiber. Currently phone companies such as SBC are testing fiber to residential homes in select markets. I wonder if this is part of their future strategy to be The One provider of all things Internet and entertainment?

Cell phones #1
These days everyone has a cell phone. In fact, the gubmint just released a report that stated there are more cell phone numbers in the United States than land lines. That comes as no surprise to me, really. I remember years ago I told my dad that one day everyone would have a cell phone and nobody would have a land line home phone. He said I was crazy…

Digital revolution to hit TV next?
Back in the day the first cell phones were analog. This meant that each cell phone had its own band. The problem with this was there are a finite number of bands. Then came the digital revolution. Instead of transferring data in analog mode via individual bands, the new digital phones and networks could transfer data via 1’s and 0’s over single bands. I was thinking the other day what’s to stop that happening to TV sets? Why do I need to be tethered to a cable for TV entertainment? I mean, the TV analog bands are already there, why can’t they transmit a bazillion channels in digital form over a single analog band?

VOIP wireless cell phones
OK you’ve heard of cell phones of course, and I’ve already mentioned VOIP. I’m sure most of you are familiar with wireless Internet for like laptops and stuffs. What about VOIP wireless Internet mobile phones? As long as your special mobile is near a wireless Internet connection you can make VOIP phone calls! With the proliferation of Wi-Fi these days, and some cities even offering free wireless Internet throughout, is this the next big thing?

Super high speed, high definition wireless
For connecting things like speakers, DVD players, TV sets, computer monitors and anything else electronic. Sort of like Bluetooth but much, much better. I know they are close to releasing it (the first generation will be available this Christmas). I forgot the official name unfortunately, but that doesn’t really matter does it? One day soon you won’t have to connect any wires to anything, it will all be wireless. The only wire will be for power.

I found a plugin for Movable Type today that should help me combat all the spam I’ve received in the past, while allowing readers of the site to post comments without having to go through the hassle of registering with TypeKey and all that.

Back in the day there was a decent amount of chatter from family and friends in the comments section of each of my posts. In fact, there were more comments than there were posts!

And then I started to get some spam. Then more spam. It got to the point where I had to police my site daily to delete spam comments and ban IP addresses. This got to be too much of a hassle, so I switched over to Movable Type’s registration system. This effectively shut down the spammers! Unfortunately, it was too much of a hassle for my friends and family to register with TypeKey, remember their logins and passwords, and all that stupid stuff. So the legit comments pretty much went away. This made me sad.

Since then I’ve struggled with some plugins and hacks to beat the spammers, but they always seem to be one step ahead of me. I think and I hope that this has changed with my latest plugin/hack. I won’t mention what it is for fear of giving the spammers an edge (if you really want to know what it is, send me an email).

At any rate, comments are now open again, no registration, logins, passwords required! So let the comments flow once again!

I like pitchin’ a plastic worm–weedless, weightless, and carefree. Weedless: because I can put it anywhere I want and it won’t get snagged on something. Weightless: because it moves and falls more naturally when it sinks. Carefree: just like me.

I’ve had fantastic luck with plastic “bait” (for lack of a better word) these last few weeks out on the Delta with Dave. The size and quality and quantity of fish that I catch get better every trip. Each time I’m out there I learn something different. My casting gets better, my placement gets better. I try different things until I find what the fish want, then I do that thing for the rest of the day, rather than keep fishing with stuff that has worked before, but not necessarily today.

Today we’re out fishing and Dave decides to try a new spot. We drop anchor in a little covelet in a bend in the river. There’s junk all in the water between us and the shoreline and the wind is whippin’. But the water is pretty clear and calm, and I like that. Fish are jumping all around us. I remember reading somewhere that these jumping fish are most likely crappie and not bass, so I try not to get too excited. Instead of using a top water lure I go with the green sinking minnow plastic bait that has worked for me all day. I make a few casts, I catch a dink. And then it happens.

I make a cast near the weedline and let the bait fall. I count to three and twitch the bait, reel in the slack in the line, and continue to let the bait fall, waiting for that characteristic tugging.

I wait patiently, twitching the bait every so often.

Tink. Tink tink! There it is, a bite! I know what’s coming next. I lower my rod tip, reel in the slack in the line, then jerk the rod tip upwards suddenly and quickly.

WHAM! Fish on!

Holy crap, this is a pretty big wham! This sucker has got to be big! At this point all I say to Dave is, “fish on!” and start reeling in. Jeebus, this guy is really fighting hard. In my gut I know that this is a really, really big fish but I don’t say anything. My adrenaline is pumping hard and my heart is in my throat. I always feel this way when I catch a fish, and every one of them is huge in my mind until I get him in the boat, so I say nothing else to Dave.

I lower my rod tip and reel in the slack, and raise the rod again rhythmically. On the upswings the monster bass fights harder and is stripping line off my reel. I tighten the drag as it gets close to the boat, and he makes a dive under it and towards the weeds. Oh shit, I might lose him! He gets close to the surface and I see it for the first time. OH MY GOD! He jumps out of the water and starts under the boat again.

“OH MY GOD HE’S HUGE! DUDE, GET THE NET! DAVE, GET THE NET!” I scream at Dave.

“OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! wHERE IS IT? wHERE IS THE FUCKING NET? HOLY SHIT HE’S HUGE!” Dave screams back.

This goes on for what seems like an eternity to me. I’ve got a fat hog on the line and I’m terrified I might lose him. Dave is frantically trying to find the net, and I’m fighting this bass, trying to keep him from shaking off or getting tangled up in the weeds.

The fish finally gets tired and I drag him up to the surface alongside the boat. Dave finds the net and scoops up my new trophy bass. And we just stand there, staring at this fish, not saying a word. Normally I’d scream, “Look at that bass, dude! Look at that fucking bass!” But this time we’re speechless. We stare at for a good, long time.

I look down at my hands and notice that I’m trembling. My thumb is bleeding (I have no idea how this happened) and my knuckles are white as a bone. Dave reaches into the net and grabs the bass, hands it to me, and says, “Nice bass, dude. Nice fucking bass.” And I still can’t speak.

Here he is, my new personal best, record California Delta largemouth bass!