Wireless Couch Blogger

That's right! It's now possible for me to blog from my couch. I don't have to walk all the way into the other room (maybe twenty steps) and leave the TV. I set up a wireless network in my condo so I guess next I'll have to open up a coffee house in here- things don't always happen in order. Using a borrowed laptop and my new technical capabilities I'm able to surf anywhere in my apartment and my TIVO has become even more powerful. TIVO now wirelessly hooks up to the internet to download schedules and I can actually look at pictures from my computer -in the next room- on my TV. I can also listen to my music stored on my computer -a few yards away- on my TV in the living room! Of course I already had to manually move all the music from the cabinet in the living room to the computer in the first place - so now I can listen to my music where it originally was.

Are you confused? Well I can understand that. The computer people don't make this wireless stuff so easy to figure out. If you haven't already set up a wireless network before, it is a surprisingly difficult task. Almost everyone I know got a few calls last weekend begging for help and advice (Human helpdesk Pete carried most of that load) If you are not familiar with IP addresses and Subnet firewalls and WEP (?) security encoding you probably have an easier time staying "wired" (Of course wireless internet still needs lots of wires- go figure). So after the initial set-up of the router I go to hook up TIVO which is usually easy. TVIO is one of the few products that actually works and almost sets itself up. TIVO is so smart that it immediately told me that the Wireless USB adapter (only one wire) I purchased does not work with TIVO. This really cracked up computer guy Pete. He had never heard of such a thing. It turns out that my new TIVO box needs a VERY specific kind of "adapter"- Its kind of the wireless receiver thingy. I downloaded a list from the internet that gave extremely detailed instructions on which thingy I could buy. I ran out Saturday evening and checked three stores but none of them had any that matched all of the model numbers and serial numbers that TIVO recommends. The one I finally found- the next day - all the way out at Franklin Mills - was a thingy made by - TIVO. Why not just tell us that in the first place?

Everything is up and running OK now, but I couldn't finish this blog on my laptop on the couch, something kept crashing the computer. So I'm finishing it here at work. But I'm going to rush home and read all the posted comments - in the kitchen - on my internet ready Toaster oven.

What (Not) to Wear

Its a sure sign that you're getting old when you don't like what all the "kids" are wearing. As many of my friends know the last few years I have been ranting about the trend of women intentionally letting their bra straps show. You know - like wearing a bra with a "spaghetti" strap "top". It just looks low class. I guess that is on the wane now, but I have a different problem now.

I have been riding a Scooter for about three years now and a bike for most of my life. I always wear a helmet (unless I give it to my passenger- and that hasn't been a lot). The law in PA was changed a few years ago and it is now legal to ride a scooter or motorcycle without a helmet. I really didn't know the motorcycle riders lobby was so powerfull to get such a law passed. Maybe they could work on Universal Healthcare too, because now they're really going to need it. Almost anyone who has ridden a motorcycle for any length of time will be happy you tell you about a horrible accident they had. (I've been extremly lucky- and moderately carefull) Most of them would be dead without a helmet. Most motorcycle / scooter crashes happen when a car doesn't see you or is distracted. I don't trust the "cagers" enough to leave my fate up to them as they talk on their cell phones and smoke a cigarette and eat while driving. So I wear a helmet - I wouldn't think not to. Pete and I were sitting last friday night having a beer at the Society Hill Hotel at 3rd & Chestnut. Its a great place to people watch and we also must have counted at least seven scooters go by (many Kymco's like mine) - only one person was wearing a helmet.
Hey listen - if you're riding a scooter you're probably not too much of a badass- even I realize that. Scooter riders don't have the same rep as Motorcyclists. You can look cool wearing a helmet- you are supposed to be hip and trendy - not stupid.

Helmets look especially good with sunglasses - but not the kind I've been seeing women wear latlely. Yes, here it comes my new pet peeve. Philadelphia is always a few years behind the fashion trends, so it is only in the last few months that I have been seeing women wear those ridiculous oversized bug eyed sunglasses. I remember seeing pictures of Nicole Richie wearing them a lot a few years ago. Please don't copy Nicole Richies' fashion sense. What does she do anyway - she's famous for being ex-friends with that other girl who never did anything and for being the daughter of a guy who used to sing. So those big sunglasses have got to go. It is one of the few fashion trends I can remember that doesn't look good on anyone (like all clothing in the decade of the 1970's). Women of Philadelphia and elsewhere - resist the temptation to be trendy and get some sunglasses that truly look good on you. And make sure your bra straps aren't showing.

My Vote on Idol

Since the address of this blog is "Pop Culture Snob" I have been remiss in my inattention to probably the biggest Pop culture phenomenons of our time. I don't think it needs more publicity, but don't worry I come to bury it not to praise it my friends.

I hate American Idol. No I haven't really watched it, but promise me, my disdain goes very deep. I'm not going to give it a chance and see if it grows on me. I've never been poked in the eye either but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it. What I hate is how it dominates the media world. It has become so popular that other TV shows have to report daily on what is happening on "Idol". I like to watch the local Fox affiliate morning show sometimes because its done locally and they have a cute traffic girl- but I change the channel immediatley when they "tease" that coming up are "Surprising results from last nights Idol" or "We have a preview of tonights American Idol - boy that Paula sure is crazy." All they are doing is a commercial for their own network's show.

I was dismayed the other day when the Philadelphia Inquirer announced in a huge font, in a colored box , not just above the fold - but above the title - "PARIS VOTED OFF 'IDOL'" To make matters worse the line underneath read "As expected, 17 year-old is sent packing" So not only do they print "news" about a TV show in a very prominent place , they admit it wasn't so surprising. Here's the huge news of the morning - just as we expected. (Oh - and apparently Paris is not Paris Hilton or her former boyfriend named Paris- now THAT would have been news).

Of course I also figure that many radio stations are jam packed with "songs" by former idol winners and runners up, plus morning banter among the DJ's about what Simon said about so and so last night. Of course I don't listen to those stations so I don't know. There are live tours of stars from American Idol too - in case two to three hours a week isn't enough.

I guess my main reason for hating Idol is the music. They sing bad versions of both new and old schlocky pop songs in the most annoying ways possible. Sometimes I catch clips of it if I can't change the channel fast enough. The women all try to sound like Mariah Carey or Celine Dion and they men sound like a bad impersonation of a Las Vegas lounge singer. Thank god American Idol is there to find this "talent" or we would have a devastating lack of mediocre pop stars.

I love TV - probably too much- and I can usually find something redeeming in most popular trends and hit TV shows. I liked Survivor in the beginning and I still like other top rated shows like Desperate Housewives and LOST - hell I even like some Britney Spears' songs, but Idol gets me very upset. I'm trying very hard to ignore it but I still can't- I'm sure things will only get louder as the season comes to an end and the winner is crowned. We can only hope for some real news - like say the Vice President being indicted for murder- to push the Idol news a bit further from the spotlight.