EdKopp4

Upcoming Season Premieres

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:44:14 GMT

With the exception of a small number of good shows that are on right now, including So You Think You Can Dance, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, In Plain Sight, and Doctor Who, there's currently very little on TV worth watching. That should all change in the near future when three great shows return with all new episodes, practically doubling the number of good shows on TV (sadly, Doctor Who will be back in reruns in the US shortly). Unfortunately, we won't be seeing any more of The 4400, The Dead Zone, Bionic Woman, or Journeyman, but we will be seeing lots of three excellent shows that have been gone for far too long. Starting tonight, Burn Notice will return to USA Network (10 PM EST). Based on last season's episodes, I expect this will be just as action-packed, funny, and well-written as ever. Then, tomorrow night marks the return of Stargate: Atlantis (10 PM EST), with the following Friday offering up the debut of the latest season of Monk (9 PM EST). It won't be quite the same without Dr. Kroger helping Monk when he needs him the most, but I'm sure it will be well-written and well-acted as usual. If you can't watch Monk or Burn Notice the first time around, they will likely be posting the episodes to USANetwork.com not long after the initial showings, so you should be able to catch these great shows whenever you are able to fit them into your schedule.

Let's Be Friends

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:31:48 GMT

It's amazing just how many web sites and services are now available to make it as easy as possible to keep in contact with someone or get to know that person better. Way back when, your best bet to keep in contact was to email them or perhaps to instant message them. For finding long lost friends, your only good hope was the now-antiquated Classmates.com. If you wanted to get to know someone better, your options were pretty limited, with a personal web page being about as good as you could get. Now, it's possible to network with friends (and strangers), keep in touch, find out what's new with people you know, get to know friends better, and meet interesting new people with minimal effort. Over the last few years, sites that make such actions easy have become incredibly common, and given my love of most things technology or internet-related, I've signed up with a decent number of them. If you know me, or even if you don't know me and want to get to know me better, you now have a multitude of ways to keep up with what I've been doing lately and to get to know me better. Below are some links to some of the more significant social networking/profile sites I'm on. Feel free to befriend me (like on Facebook or MySpace), follow me (like on Twitter), or just give my profiles a glance. You can even poke me if you want (only on Facebook, I believe). For a list of more of the sites I'm on along with links to those profiles, you can go here or go to the main page of my Windows Live Space and click on the "My Profiles" link near the top left of the page.

Here are the links to my profiles: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, MyBlogLog, Last.fm, YouTube, del.icio.us, Xbox Live, reddit, Digg

No Dead Zone or 4400 Season Premieres in 2008

Mon, 26 May 2008 06:06:06 GMT

Thanks to a handy visitor statistics feature present in Windows Live Spaces, I'm able to see the referring address for visitors to my blog. I've noticed a trend over the last month or two that a number of visitors are coming here looking for information on the season premieres of The 4400 and The Dead Zone sometime this year. I thought that I should take a moment here and let anyone who happens to stumble across my blog know that you can stop looking for information on these premieres. Both of these shows were canceled, and as such you can expect no more season premieres or new episodes of any kind. I was rather shocked when I first learned the news from TV Guide late last year, but with the promise of new episodes of Monk and Burn Notice plus an interesting new series in the form of In Plain Sight, I've slowly gotten over losing these two great shows. They definitely had many exciting episodes left before their proper endings, but the last season finales should serve at least as reasonably solid series finales as well. Luckily, we live in an age where the majority of TV shows are available to own on DVD, and these shows are no exception, letting avid viewers like me relive these shows whenever I want. Sadly, besides the possible occasional rerun, this is our best way of watching these shows now.

Unbelievable Prices on Star Trek DVDs

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:53:54 GMT

I remember when seasons of Star Trek on DVD were around $100 (or more depending on where you shopped). For the longest time, it seemed like the price would never drop. I've been a fan of Star Trek in all its TV iterations for quite some time, and I was eager to own it and watch it in high-quality whenever I wanted, so I slowly but surely started buying the DVDs. After a few years, a lot of money spent, and some very generous gifts, I finally owned all of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and The Original Series. It was a lot of money, but I didn't mind too much because I love those shows and knew I would get a lot of enjoyment out of them, and I certainly have done just that. However, after I'd bought those seasons and it seemed like the price would never change for years to come, Paramount went and lowered the prices on all of the seasons I'd already bought. As a result, it's not unusual now to find the aforementioned seasons for about $50. Naturally, Voyager and Enterprise, the two series I still have yet to buy, still have the same old high suggested price. I'm not one for overpaying when I know there's a better price to be had, even if it means a little waiting, so I wasn't about to buy seasons from either series until the price dropped as they were bound to do sooner or later given the price drops for the other seasons.

Paramount (technically CBS Television now, I suppose) still hasn't lowered the MSRP on Voyager or Enterprise yet, but that hasn't stopped Amazon from going ahead and lowering the price anyway. Thanks to a handy extension for Firefox, I've been monitoring the prices of these Star Trek DVDs, and I was shocked when I unexpectedly saw Amazon's lower price. At first, I thought it would be a temporary reduction, but after watching the prices stay the same ever since, I think it's safe to say that Amazon is keeping the price of all Star Trek seasons low for the foreseeable future. Voyager season one had been $116.99 as of 10/30/07. Amazon cut the price to $59.99. Enterprise season one was $116.99 on 10/30/07. Amazon changed it to $69.98. Both of those price cuts offer a significant price cut to Trek fans, and it's even more impressive given that the MSRP has stayed high with no expected change in the immediate future. As someone who still has yet to buy these seasons, that got me really excited.

Then, I saw Amazon's latest promotion. As part of a promotion for a new section of its site called Amazon Cosmotopia, Amazon.com is lowering the price of all Star Trek seasons on DVD to $35.49 per season during the month of April (2008). I thought that $60 or so per season was a great price, but $35.49 per season is simply an unbelievable bargain that you may not see again this year (who knows, maybe ever). Unfortunately for me, I don't have any spare money to get these DVDs right now, but that doesn't stop anyone else out there from getting them at this stellar price (pun definitely intended). If you're like me and don't have the money to spare right now, the prices will likely go back to around $60 for a season after this month, which is still very reasonable compared to the old prices that topped $100. For your convenience, I've included links below to each season that's on sale (technically, that's all the Star Trek seasons). Amazon hasn't just reduced the price on Star Trek, though. There are many other great deals to be had during this promotion. In my opinion, two of the best other deals are the entire series of Buffy on DVD (40 discs, no less) for just $99.99 and the first four seasons of The Dead Zone for a mere $11.99 each. So, if you have the spare money and are looking for some great, cheap entertainment to last you for years to come, this sale is just for you. I don't think that you can beat these prices anywhere, either - even DeepDiscount.com isn't this cheap, and in this sale, you're dealing with a site you know you can trust no matter what and you won't even have to pay tax (or shipping, for that matter, assuming you spend at least $25). Enjoy.

Star Trek (Seasons 1, 2, and 3) - $35.49 per season
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) - $35.49 per season
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) - $35.49 per season
Star Trek: Voyager (Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) - $35.49 per season
Star Trek: Enterprise (Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4) - $35.49 per season

The Dead Zone (Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4) - $11.99 per season; Season 5 - $15.49; The Final Season - $23.99
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Collector's Set (40 discs) - ~~$99.99~~ $164.99

Update (4/11/08): At least for the moment, it appears that Amazon has raised the price of the Buffy set up to $164.99. Shame on them. That was definitely one of the best DVD deals around.

Xdrive Ups Storage to 7.5 GB?

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 12:06:35 GMT

I was trying to upload some video files to Xdrive last night, so I fired up Xdrive Desktop Lite. It was taking far too long to browse to different folders and see their contents, so I decided to quit that and try the classic web interface instead. Before I did so, however, I noticed something curious in the top right of the screen. It said that I have "7.31 GB Free". While I found this odd, I thought that maybe it had something to do with the fact that I have a lot of full resolution photos stored at AOL Pictures and that there was an error in this fairly new program that misinterpreted my total storage space. However, when I navigated to the web interface in Firefox, I saw yet another unusual yet similar sight. In the top right next to the bar that indicates how much storage you've used, it says "7.49 GB available". To make things even more strange, upon highlighting the bar, I saw the alt text "7.49 GB of 5 GB remaining".

This just strikes me as odd. Is this a system-wide error? Does is have to do with the recently-released (although, in my opinion, buggy and slow - it results in the continuous accessing of my floppy drive) Xdrive Desktop Lite application? Lastly, could it be that AOL has felt more pressure in this space thanks to Microsoft's recent release of Windows Live SkyDrive out of beta with an equivalent 5 GB of storage and has decided to up its own storage limit to fend off this attack on its territory? I would like to believe this is true, but the rest of the site indicates that they're still only offering 5 GB in their free offering. As often happens with sudden product changes, however, it could just be that they have yet to change all of the related information on the site to reflect an increase in storage space. I suppose that only time will tell what the real situation is. Whatever the outcome, though, it appears that things aren't going perfectly over at Xdrive when it comes to calculating storage space.

Update (3/27/08): Xdrive's classic web interface is once again showing 5 GB as the storage limit. I guess this means it was a bug after all. I still hope that in the near future they will increase the storage space for real, though.

More Fenway 13 Midnight Movies Unveiled

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:34:00 GMT

It appears that the recent run of midnight movies at Regal Fenway 13 was a success, because four additional movies have been added to the list of upcoming films. The original list ended with Fight Club (to be shown initially on 2/22), leaving me to wonder just what other films, if any, would follow. Thanks to a recent post at the official Facebook group (Flashback Features At Regal Fenway 13), we now know what movies will be shown in late February and most of March. Here's how the schedule looks:

Fri., 2/29: Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Encore Performance - Wed., 3/5 @ 8pm)
Fri., 3/7: Home Alone (Encore Performance - Wed., 3/12 @ 8pm)
Fri., 3/14: Pretty in Pink (Encore Performance - Wed., 3/19 @ 8pm)
Fri., 3/21: Office Space (Encore Performance - Wed., 3/26 @ 8pm)

First, I have to point out that I cannot verify firsthand that this is in fact the correct schedule. However, the post by one of the administrators of the Facebook group seems very credible, so I'll take him at his word. If I find out anything to the contrary, I will of course post an update, but as of now, I'd say it's safe to say this is the schedule.

In all, I'd say that it's a pretty decent schedule, although I think it could have definitely been made stronger had better choices been made. Ferris Bueller's Day Off should bring in a large audience, and given that I've only seen it on a TV, it should be pretty enjoyable for me too. Home Alone is a classic, and although it would be better suited to a showing right before Christmas, I certainly can't deny that it would be fun to see it on the big screen any time of year. Office Space should draw a good crowd as well, but I can't help but feel that this slot in the schedule will be wasted on it given that I saw it during the previous run of AMC Fenway 13 midnight movies on 4/29/05. I suppose three years is enough space between showings, but I think I would rather see another classic film instead. The only strange choice in the bunch, at least in my opinion, is Pretty in Pink. I know that they're trying to pick a diverse schedule that appeals to everyone, but I can think of much better films to take its place (I would much rather see Jaws or The Blues Brothers, thank you very much). Who knows, perhaps I'll give it a chance and go watch it anyway. It's only $6, after all.

If the previous movies are any indication, I'd expect all of these films to draw a pretty good number of people, and at $6, it's hard to go wrong. It's practically impossible to find movies in the theatre for even close to that price these days. If you read this and you'll be going to one of these films, you'll probably see me there as well. Look for me to likely be in the back middle of the front section since the middle front of the back section seems to always be filled when I get in the theatre. Maybe I'll have better luck with one of these films.

Midnight Movies Return to Fenway 13

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:54:29 GMT

I was looking around the movie listings at Google last night in preparation for my viewing of Cloverfield earlier today when I saw something that immediately brought a smile to my face. In fact, at first I couldn't believe my eyes, but there it was: a listing for Reservoir Dogs at 11:59 PM on 1/18 at Regal Fenway 13. Could it be? Yes, indeed it was. The long-absent weekly midnight movie series made famous by AMC when they owned that theatre has returned at last. I saw many excellent movies thanks to that previous series of midnight movies, and I was certainly upset when they discontinued it right before Regal took over. I was hoping that Regal would catch on and bring it back, and it seems that they have. I did some searching after seeing that listing, and apparently they are referring to this series of movies as "Flashback Features." At the moment, they only list six movies (including the one tonight), but with any luck, they'll be adding to that list.

While I was at the theatre today to see the 1:10 PM showing of Cloverfield (which was excellent, by the way), I looked around with the hope of getting some more information about this series. According to the display stand they have set up in the lobby, this series of movies is exclusive to Fenway 13 and the list of coming movies shown on the stand agrees with the list I found online. Apparently, they also had one more movie in the series that was shown last Friday. That movie was Pulp Fiction. It's unfortunate that I couldn't see it, but I wasn't even in Boston at the time. I'm just glad that I found out about this before I had missed too many movies. Now that all the backstory is out of the way, here is the list of movies coming to Regal Fenway 13 that I found on this page at Fandango.

Fri., 1/18: Reservoir Dogs (Encore Performance - Wed., 1/23 @ 8pm)
Fri., 1/25: The Shining (Encore Performance - Wed., 1/30 @ 8pm)
Fri., 2/1: The Goonies (Encore Performance - Wed., 2/6 @ 8pm)
Fri., 2/8: The Matrix (Encore Performance - Wed., 2/13 @ 8pm)
Fri., 2/15: Princess Bride (Encore Performance - Wed., 2/20 @ 8pm)
Fri., 2/22: Fight Club (Encore Performance - Wed., 2/27 @ 8pm)

In particular, I'm looking forward to The Goonies (which I've only seen on the small screen) and The Matrix (which will be quite a treat since I really like that film and its sequels and haven't seen it in its true glory since its original theatrical release). Also, as you may have noticed from the list above, all of these movies will be reshown the following Wednesday at 8 PM. That seems like a bit of an odd day and time, but if you can't make it to the Friday night showing, it's certainly nice to have an alternative. As if the quality of these movies wasn't reason enough to see them, the fact that tickets are only $6 (as opposed to the student price of $8.50) should make you want to go even more. I know I'll be seeing Reservoir Dogs later tonight.

Amazon.com's Price Drop Policy

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 01:28:21 GMT

I love Amazon.com. It almost always has the best prices, carries pretty much any item I can want, especially when it comes to DVDs and CDs, doesn't charge tax, and ships purchases over $25 for free. Thanks to an article at Lifehacker, a while back I got to liking Amazon for yet another reason. If you buy anything at Amazon.com and they lower the price on that item within 30 days after your purchase, they'll refund you the difference in price. I don't know of too many stores that do that. In fact, I don't know if I can think of any stores that do that besides Amazon. I've yet to have an opportunity to test this policy myself, but it certainly is reassuring knowing that you can buy any item confident that they won't lower the price just days later and you'll be stuck paying the higher price. Unfortunately (or, perhaps fortunately for Amazon), not many people seem to know about this great policy. I know that I've tried to mention this to everyone when the topic of buying things online comes up in conversation, but people are still generally unaware of this fact. With any luck, this post and others like it will help make people more aware of the potential savings to be had, especially given how many purchases people made recently at Amazon for their holiday gifts. For the complete guide on how to use this policy to your advantage, you should read this wonderful article that Lifehacker pointed to in its article on the subject. Now go get some of your hard-earned money back.

Xbox 360 Fall Update Looking Good

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:58:04 GMT

Every spring and fall, Xbox fans start getting excited as they wonder what Microsoft has in store in its biannual 360 dashboard updates. Although some updates are better than others, every update has delivered at least some features that make using Xbox 360 more enjoyable and makes a great console even better. A while back I posted a list of the 30 improvements that I'd like to see come to Xbox 360, and these fall and spring updates are exactly where Microsoft would deliver such improvements. People have been speculating wildly lately as to what this fall's update will bring, and as of today, they don't have to speculate any longer. While there are still some things missing from this update that I would have liked to have been included, I have to say that this update is looking to be one of the best yet, adding a ton of new features and improvements that I and many others have been hoping for ever since (sometimes even before) we got our hands on a 360.

I'll have to wait until Christmas break to download and experiment with this latest update, but everyone else with a 360 readily available and a high speed internet connection will be able to upgrade on December 4th. There are a lot of features that I'm looking forward to putting to good use, but a few really stand out. In particular, I'm looking forward to:

DivX and Xvid support - With this addition, Xbox 360 will finally support just about any video format you can ask for (well, unless you're asking for Flash Video, in which case you're out of luck). If you're wondering about video specifics, the Xbox Team recently posted a handy FAQ over at MSDN on this very subject.
People who were under 18 when they signed up for Xbox Live (like me) but who have since passed this landmark birthday will no longer have to see that annoying "What are you waiting for?" message every time you boot up your console. You joined Xbox Live, you're an adult, and now you get to be treated as an adult by Xbox Live thanks to a handy "child account graduation" feature. Major Nelson has more info on that here.
For those who linked their gamertag to a Windows Live ID they no longer use, you will finally be able to change the ID your gamertag is associated with. You can also get info on that here.
A faster Guide - I love the Guide. It's handy, always there, and gives me a ton of info. However, it is definitely slower than it needs to be. If a line near the end of the fall update list of features is correct, the guide will now be a lot quicker. How quick? How about "~2x". Twice as fast sounds good to me.
Cheaper Xbox Live Arcade games. I call it finally lowering the prices on old titles that don't sell as well anymore, they call it "Xbox LIVE Arcade Hits."
"Enhanced online profile" - Some people may not care for this, but I look forward to being able to put a little bit more about me on Xbox Live for my friends (or pseudo-friends) to see. Did you forget who I am because we haven't played together in a while? That's OK. Check out my profile to refresh your memory.
"Expanded Friends List access" - I don't think I ever even thought of this feature before, but I'm really looking forward to it. The people I play with are all of a similar type, in that they all play nice, are good sports, don't curse and scream, and are just all-around fun to play with. My friends also seem to only have people like that on their friends list. Instead of having to wait and play with some of these great people, I'll be able to just go down a friend's friends list and find someone fun to play with. This will also come in handy if you play with someone who you know is friends with one of your friends but you can't remember their exact gamertag.

There are a lot of other fixes and features coming in this update, but these are the ones that get me the most excited at the moment. Now I'll just have to wait a few weeks to give it a spin. For more info on the major features that have been added, check our Major Nelson's recent article. If you'd rather look at the full list of updates heading our way, you can read this extensive article at Xbox.com. If these new features have you excited too, then go over to this thread at Xbox365 that I started and add your thoughts.

Dance to the Music? Not with iPod

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:57:54 GMT

To beging with, I own an iPod. While I still think that it's overpriced compared to other portable MP3 players on the market, I certainly believe that it has one of the best interfaces available, a great look, and generally solid performance. However, one thing about the iPod that I have never liked is its advertising campaign. It seems like wherever I go, I see another advertisement for an iPod, with each ad looking almost exactly the same. It's always an overly large, bright colored poster depicting an apparently young, happy person dancing while listening to music on their iPod. These people aren't just dancing though. Many of them are so into the music that they look like they're about to fall over. Never mind the fact that this is a bit unrealistic. Even in the best concerts I've been to where people were really into the music, I don't recall ever seeing anyone act like that, but that's OK. In the heat of the moment (and the privacy of one's own home), I suppose it's possible.

However, what I do have a problem with is that dancing to the music, exhibiting pure happiness and love of the music, and listening to an iPod simply do not go together in real life. Maybe the Apple advertisers would like you to think of their product as a cool, fun product that makes you happy and brings some joy to your otherwise boring life, but the reality is that the iPod seems to do just the opposite. It seems like wherever I go, whether it be waiting at an airport, walking down the street, sitting in a subway car, or standing in line to pay for something, I see at least one person listening to an iPod, and everytime, without exception, I see the exact same thing. Instead of showing happiness and feeling, these iPod junkies look dazed and out of touch with reality, almost like they're staring at a TV right in front of them that only they can see. Rarely do you see one of them crack a smile, or even exhibit any emotion as a result of listening to the music being pumped through their iPod. If I didn't know that they were listening to an iPod, I might otherwise think that these people were high on pain killers or some other equally-numbing medication or drug. These people paid hundreds of dollars for a device so they can listen to their music on the go and add some fun to their lives, and instead they get something that makes them look and act just like zombies. They're as out of touch with reality while connected to an iPod as can be, and exhibit none of the social characteristics that a non-iPod person would. To make matters worse, many of these people seem to even be addicted to their iPods, sticking those white ear buds to their ears every chance they get, just as zombies crave human flesh.

Whenever I use an iPod, I tend to be in a situation where there is little else to do and I need something to occupy me, such as at an airport or on a train or airplane. Unlike these iPod junkies, though, I can never resist the urge to feel the music and tap or move as necessary with the music. If you see someone playing the air drums or conducting an invisible orchestra at the airport, that's probably me. I don't know why I am able to use my iPod like it should be used (for happiness and enjoying music) and these junkies are not, but it certainly is worrying. Our society already has too many people who watch TV or play video games so incessantly that they have lost touch with reality and their physical wellbeing has suffered as a result. I sincerely hope that in the future, this iPod syndrome doesn't have any ill effects on us or future generations, because like it or not, it would seem that the iPod, and along with it its numbing syndrome are here to stay. If you're wondering what you can be for Halloween (which is tonight, by the way - Happy Halloween!), don't bother going to the costume store. Instead, just fire up your iPod and insert the white ear buds. I guarantee that you'll look just like a zombie and perhaps even scare a few people who have yet to be infected by the iPod syndrome. Happy listening...

Adblock Working with Windows Live Hotmail Again

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:12:15 GMT

Anyone who was having problems with Windows Live Hotmail and Adblock (or Adblock Plus), such as not being able to compose new messages or reply to messages, should be happy to know that the two are once again compatible. I previously posted about a workaround that would allow you to block ads in Hotmail and still have full use of all of Hotmail's features. That workaround still works just as it always did, but if you prefer not to use Greasemonkey and stick with Adblock, you can do so simply by updating your filter subscription. In Adblock Plus, this is done by either left clicking on the red ABP symbol in your toolbar near the top of Firefox (or right clicking on the red ABP symbol in the status bar near the bottom of Firefox) and clicking on Preferences in the menu that pops up. If you don't see the symbol in either of these places, you can bring up the same Preferences window by going to Tools > Adblock Plus. People using the USA filter list should scroll down to where you see "Filter subscription: Rick752's EasyList (usa)" and right click on that line of text. Click on the first option in the menu that pops up ("Update subscription now"). Once that's done, click on OK on the bottom right of the window. The newly updated filter list should be fully compatible with Windows Live Hotmail and allow you to use all of its functions while also blocking all of its annoying ads.

If you're using a filter subscription other than the one mentioned above, I'm not sure if it has been updated to be fully compatible with Hotmail, but it is very likely that it is, so you can follow the same procedure, but instead of right clicking on the subscription mentioned here, you will right click on the one you are using.

If you used my previously mentioned workaround to get full functionality in Hotmail with Adblock installed, you now need to undo the changes we made before (or if you just decided on your own to disable Adblock on the Hotmail domain). Here's how we do that. Now that your Adblock Plus is once again compatible with Hotmail, you can block Hotmail in Adblock Plus. This is done by opening up the Preferences window as you just did, and finding the web address near the top in green under where it says "Exception rules" that applies to Hotmail. This entry is most likely something like "mail.live.com" with some additional text on either side of this address. Go ahead and right click on this address and click on Delete in the menu that pops up. Click on OK near the bottom right of the window.

Since Adblock is now doing its job of blocking ads in Hotmail, you don't have to use the Greasemonkey script I mentioned in my previous post anymore (although you still can if you want to - there shouldn't be any problems with using both the script and Adblock at the same time). Right click on the Greasemonkey icon in your status bar or go to Tools > Greasemonkey and click on "Manage User Scripts." Then, click on "Cipher's Live Hotmail Companion 1.4" in the left hand column. If you think you might want to use the script again someday, just uncheck the box near the bottom left next to where it says "Enabled." If you want to get rid of the script, you can click on the Uninstall button near the bottom middle instead. When you're done, click on OK near the bottom right.

Finally, if you also want to uninstall Greasemonkey because you have no further use for it, go to Tools > Add-ons. In the new window, click on Greasemonkey, then click on the Uninstall button on the far right of that same highlighted line.

That's it. Adblock Plus should once again be working properly with Hotmail, allowing you to fully use all of Hotmail's features and block all of its ads, and all of the changes made in my last post should be undone. Enjoy.

Problems with Live Hotmail and Adblock? Try this.

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 03:47:09 GMT

If you're like me, then you love Firefox for its seemingly limitless number of customization options and the ability to add a wide range of useful add-ons to your web browser. Among these add-ons, one of the most crucial to a good browsing experience has to be Adblock Plus (or Adblock). This practically invisible add-on eliminates just about every advertisement you'd come across while surfing the net. Some may say that this is wrong and immoral, but I say that since I'm one of the people who never clicks on advertisements, serving me ads while I'm browsing is bad for everyone. It distracts me while I'm browsing and uses up my bandwidth, and it increases server load and uses up the server's bandwidth. Plus, if I like your site's content enough and your ads are unobtrusive, I'll probably unblock your ads anyway.

If you share this mindset, then you were probably very disappointed when it was recently revealed that the latest release of Windows Live Hotmail (now available for everyone) has some major problems when it's viewed in Firefox with Adblock Plus (or Adblock) enabled. In particular, it is impossible to get the Reply, Forward, and New Message forms to properly load, making it impossible to send email in Hotmail as long as ads are blocked by Adblock Plus. The Hotmail team recommends that everyone in this situation should simply disable Adblock Plus. Doing this will make Hotmail behave normally, but it will also make ads visible once again (both the top banner and the small ad in the lower left-hand corner). Another option is to find the exact filter in Adblock Plus that is messing up Hotmail and to remove it. This will leave Adblock Plus enabled on Hotmail, but it has the same effect as disabling it since it will make the ads viewable, plus it will make some ads visible on other sites.

Since neither of the above options sounds very appealing, I present to you another option that will not only make Hotmail work properly but will also block the ads just as Adblock Plus normally would. All you need to do is follow these steps:
1. Make sure you have Greasemonkey installed by going to Tools > Add-ons. If you don't have it, then download it by going here and clicking on "Install Now." If it's disabled, make sure you enable it.
2. Install Live Hotmail Companion 1.4 by going here and clicking on "Install this script" at the top right of the page.
3. Go to Hotmail and sign-in as usual. When it finishes logging you in, right click on the Adblock Plus symbol visible in either your toolbar or status bar. (If it's not visible, go to Tools > Adblock Plus. In the new window, go to Options and make sure "Show in status bar" is checked.) Click on "Disable on ...", where ... is your Hotmail server visible in the address bar. (In other words, click on the top option, not the lower one that says "Disable on this page only.") This will disable Adblock Plus on Hotmail.
4. Go to another website and go back to Hotmail. You should now find that Hotmail behaves like normal but the ads are blocked. Test this out by trying to create a new email message. The email form should come up like normal, including the box where you enter the body of the email.

An added benefit of this Greasemonkey script is that it also removes the empty space at the top where the ad would have been, giving you even more space to view your email. I've tried this workaround personally and have found it to work very well, with the only negative being that it may make Hotmail very slightly slower (although this could just be in my head - the difference is negligible, at least on a high-speed connection on a fairly fast computer). While you're improving your Hotmail experience, be sure to go to Options > More options... (in the top right of the Hotmail page) when you're logged into Hotmail. Scroll down to "Customize your mail" and click on "Today page settings." Click in the bubble next to "Skip the Today page and take me straight to my inbox" and then click on Save. This will do away with that annoying Today page and take you straight to your Inbox next time you log in. You can still access the Today page by clicking on Today in the bottom left corner of the Hotmail page.

Monk Season Premiere Tonight

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:59:08 GMT

It's been a bit of a wait, but Monk is finally returning tonight with all new episodes to keep your summer nights nice and happy. The premiere of Monk begins at 9 PM (EST) on USA Network, with future episodes being at that same time as well. Unfortunately, despite the obvious lack of good TV series currently airing new episodes, somehow the powers that be decided that it would be smart to show new episodes of Doctor Who on SciFi at the same time that USA is showing new episodes of Monk. It seems absurd that neither network could find a different time to show these great series even though most of their primetime TV slots are lacking anything worthwhile, but they nevertheless decided to leave them be at 9 PM on Fridays. I suppose it could be that the audience for these shows doesn't really overlap very much, but I for one thoroughly enjoy both series. I guess I'll have to try and catch a showing of Monk later in the week so I can watch Doctor Who tonight. Also of note is that the fairly popular series Psych returns with new episodes in a few minutes at 8 PM on USA. Personally, however, I'll save my enthusiasm for Monk and Doctor Who.

Stargate SG-1 Series Finale Tonight

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 20:21:19 GMT

It's been a great ten seasons of action-packed science fiction, but tonight Stargate SG-1 will finally draw to a close its impressive run on television. This season has been a rather unusual one, with many of the episodes of course dedicated to the major story arc involving the Ori threat to Earth but broken up unexpectedly every now and then with episodes focusing entirely on smaller, fairly unimportant plots that allow us to focus our attention more on the further development of the characters and making further progress on sub-plots that have been present on the show for some time. I don't think it was the most cohesive final season of a show by any means, but it was still definitely a good one, and I expect tonight's finale not to disappoint. The promo promises that the episode will focus on resolving the Ori threat, and my money is on the inclusion of a heavy dose of action to supplement a great deal of plot development. This historic episode will first be broadcast tonight at 8 PM (EST) on SciFi, followed by the season finale of Stargate Atlantis. In all, it should be a very good night of television for science fiction fans everywhere.

The 4400 and The Dead Zone Season Premieres Tonight

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:56:56 GMT

With the exception of a few shows like Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and So You Think You Can Dance, there are very few good shows worth watching on television right now. That will change considerably tonight, when two of the best shows in recent memory, The 4400 and The Dead Zone, return with brand new episodes to kick off a new season. As always, the ending to each show's previous season left the viewer wondering what would happen next, and tonight's episodes look to relieve that curiosity, at least to a certain extent. My only concern is that The Dead Zone's new season promises to be "the season that changes everything." Frankly, I hope that they don't change too much, because I really like the way things currently are, in particular the main characters and their relationships with one another.

They better not have one of the main characters become poorly written-out like the creators of Monk did with Sharona. It really would be a disservice to the show. I suppose some evolution on the show is necessary, though, since the main characters have been largely the same throughout the series, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a little shakeup. If you missed last season's finales or just want a refresher, USA Network has been kind enough to provide these episodes free of charge for your viewing pleasure online. Just go to each show's site for the proper links. You can watch The 4400 tonight on USA Network at 9 PM (EST) and The Dead Zone following immediately after on the same channel at 10 PM (EST). If you miss tonight's episodes, then you should be able to see them again later in the week. Also, if viewing episodes online is your thing, then USA promises that the premiere of The 4400 will be viewable online on Monday.

Great Movies Coming to Coolidge Corner Theatre This Summer

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 03:59:25 GMT

If you live in Boston or the surrounding area and are fond of good, classic movies, then you're in for a real treat this summer. I am very fond of Coolidge Corner Theatre, and I have been for some time now. Its purpose is a fine one, bringing classic, international, or otherwise unseen movies to the Boston area. Unlike most movie theatres, Coolidge is not-for-profit and is motivated only by the desire to bring the "finest international, documentary, animated, and independent film selections and series" to its elegant, old-time movie theatre so that movie-goers in Brookline and all around can enjoy some fine movies. I personally have seen a handful of good movies there, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Napoleon Dynamite, The Breakfast Club, and one of my favorites, Xanadu. I had a lot of fun each time I saw a film there, and I have a feeling that a lot of movie fans will be having a great deal of fun there in the coming months as well. Unfortunately, since I'm at home in Tampa right now, I won't be able to enjoy these great films, but I am certain that many people in the Boston area will cherish these showings.

I had been expecting there to be a few good movies showing at Coolidge over the summer, but I was shocked at just how many they'd added to their list in the recent weeks when I viewed my Coolidge email newsletter earlier today. There are many other movies coming to the Coolidge this summer, but here are my personal highlights (movies so good that I would go see them this summer if I could). On Monday, June 18th, the Coolidge Science on Screen series continues with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. June 21st brings Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and August 23rd features the original Back to the Future, both of which are part of the free outdoor family screening series. August also features a number of other great films, including The Big Lebowski on the 6th, West Side Story on the 13th, Casablanca on the 20th, and Lawrence of Arabia not long after on September 3rd. Not to be forgotten, of course, is the charity screening of Serenity on June 23rd.

All in all, I'd say that Bostonian movie fans have a lot to look forward to, with the exception of an empty wallet after buying the tickets for all these movies. However, all profit goes right back into helping the Coolidge theatre. My hope is that Coolidge will continue to show such great movies over the coming year, because I found this past year to be relatively void of what I would consider to be great movies that appeal to me.

Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis Return Tonight with New Episodes

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:31:27 GMT

It's been a bit of a wait, but two of SciFi's best shows, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, are finally returning from many weeks of reruns tonight with all new episodes. Both will pick up where their respective cliffhangers left off, meaning that both episodes should be full of excitement. SG-1, in particular, should have a great deal of action and plot development given that this will be the first of the very last episodes before the show's finale. Once the finale has come and gone, all we'll have left to do is to sit around and wait for the already-announced SG-1 direct-to-DVD movies titled The Ark of Truth and Continuum (and keep watching Atlantis, of course). My XP Media Center PC is already set-up to record these episodes tonight, and if you enjoy goof sci-fi or action TV, then hopefully you will be able to watch them tonight or when they are reshown later on in the night. The new episode of SG-1, titled "The Quest - Part 2", will be shown at 8 PM (EST) on SciFi, followed by the episode of Atlantis, "The Return - Part 2", at 9 PM.

Xdrive Still Down?

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:40:34 GMT

I mentioned a few days ago that it looked like Xdrive might be adding improved performance and storage while the site was taken offline overnight. The upgrade was only supposed to last that one night. However, I have been trying each day since then to sign into my Xdrive account with no success. The website came back online not long after the supposed overhaul, including a slightly prettier main page. However, every time I go to sign in and enter my (correct) AOL screen name and password as I always have, it says "We're sorry, but we're unable to confirm that Screen Name & Password combination." I know for a fact that I've been entering it correctly. While I don't see any obvious reason why my login attempts could be failing, I do notice that it stops adding asterisks in the password field as I type in my password after I have entered only 8 characters. While this may be intentional, it may also be possible that the system is only accepting 8 characters for the password from the user and as such it does not show these 8 characters as matching my (more than 8 character) password. I would usually find the website administrator's contact information and send him an email letting him know about the problem, but in AOL's infinite wisdom, they have decided that only paying customers deserve to receive email support. As a result, I see absolutely no way of informing the site's technical staff about this obviously debilitating error. Everything else on the site looks and feels very finished and works correctly, so my guess is that this error is unintentional and that the site's staff are currently unaware of it. I sincerely hope that someone (who is actually able to) alerts them or that they notice the problem themselves so that I will once again be able to sign into this handy website and actually get to experience the enhanced performance they claimed during the site upgrade.

More Storage Coming to Xdrive?

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 01:07:46 GMT

Just now I went to Xdrive.com to upload a few videos to my free Xdrive/AOL account for safe-keeping when I was greeted by something I had never seen before. Instead of the usual Xdrive login page, I was shown a short message that states the following:

Service Notice
Xdrive is down right now while we perform upgrades that will allow you to experience an increase in performance (faster!) and expanded storage capacity.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

We anticipate being online 9AM Eastern Standard Time.

Ever since AOL bought Xdrive and made it free to anyone with an AOL screen name, I've found it to be a useful yet inconsistent service. No one can argue that having 5 GB of free, secure online storage accessible anywhere with an internet connection is a valuable service. However, site responsiveness has always been very unpredicatable. Sometimes it will load pages quickly with no upload problems, while other times you will be lucky to login at all because it is so slow or you may have difficulties successfully uploading files. If this site upgrade does in fact improve performance, then it should make the site much easier and more enjoyable to use. Also, while 5 GB is a very large amount of storage space for a free service to offer as it is, any additional space offered for free would be very welcome. I look forward to the site coming back online and seeing how effective these upgrades prove to be.

Monk Season Finale Friday at 9 PM

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 04:52:58 GMT

It seems like the new season of Monk just started, and already it's coming to an end. As always, it was a great season full of Monk's wonderful tendencies, phobias, and awesome detective skills. The season finale looks like it will place Monk into an environment that a germ-ophobe like himself is sure to detest - the hospital. Hopefully Natalie will have plenty of wipes on hand, because I'm sure they're going to need every one of them. The episode will first be shown on Friday, March 2nd, at 9 PM (EST). However, if you can't watch it firsthand or have your DVR record it, then you shouldn't have any problem catching it later on because USA is usually pretty good about reshowing new episodes of its series during the following week. Here's the description of the episode from the official Monk website:

Monk goes to the emergency room for a bloody nose, but when a doctor in the hospital turns up dead, Monk joins the murder investigation ... and soon finds his own life in grave danger. Don't miss the Monk Season Finale -- "Mr. Monk Goes to the Hospital" this Friday at 9/8C

Photo Album: 8/4/2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:58:19 GMT

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Photo Album: 8/3/2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:58:07 GMT

8/3/2008

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Photo Album: 8/2/2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:57:54 GMT

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Photo Album: 8/1/2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:57:44 GMT

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Photo Album: Davis Square - 7/28/2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:57:34 GMT

Davis Square - 7/28/2008

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Photo Album: 7/25/2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:57:24 GMT

7/25/2008

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Photo Album: 7/18/2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:57:14 GMT

7/18/2008

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