Through a Dogs Eyes on PBS was excellent, and I highly recommend it. While watching, I had a glass of Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc that I really enjoyed. For some reason, in general, I seem to really like the Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand more than from anywhere else.
Also, don’t forget Radio Kaos at 9 central.
Personally, I am just exhausted. I can barely stay up past ten pm the last couple of weeks. I do have a tech question, though.
I would like to stream audio and video to my living room through my wireless router, but I don’t have an xbox 360 or PS3. Is there a contraption I can buy that will be able to plug into my receiver and tv that will accept data from my home network? And I’m clueless about this, so speak slowly.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
I am sure a sweet voice will come along soon to help you with your tech question. Could be a mystery gift that does the trick.
Matt
I don’t know about video, but for audio I’ve had success with a netbook and a usb soundcard with an optical cable coming out of it.
Yutsano
@General Egali Tarian Stuck: I’ll give y’all a hint: it won’t be me. In fact, this is why I thank the FSM every day for Geek Squad, even if they are expensive as all get out.
dopealope
An airport express will stream music from iTunes ….
For internet radio, I use Logitech’s Squeezebox …
xjmueller
we plug our pc into our receiver – an av receiver with hdmi ports. pioneer, yamaha, onkyo, and sony all make these things. these will pass hdmi video and audio. some will even upscale your standard video — like our wii.
Rosali
Do you have a Wii? I hoped to stream through my Wii but got stopped in my tracks when I did not remember my wireless password.
John Cole
@xjmueller: MY PC is at the other end of the house.
John Cole
@General Egali Tarian Stuck: Have you been drinking again?
Mike Kay
so any interesting news happen today?
mr. whipple
@dopealope:
“For internet radio, I use Logitech’s Squeezebox …”
I’ve been thinking about one of those. Happy with it?
Mr. Nobody
I have the Western Digital Live Media Player. Plays almost any kind of file you might have. I have it hooked up wireless to my home network. Only shortcoming is that HD content can be choppy while streaming wireless, but for music and basic divx files, it works fantastic.
Ed Marshall
A laptop was my first thought.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@John Cole: Nope, sober as a judge. What about you? But I could be hearing voices, cause every time I log onto Balloon Juice, some sweet voice is asking my name or offering me a mystery gift. Amber is her name. It does stop when I turn my speakers off though.
SiubhanDuinne
Oh good. *Finally* an open thread. Too bad I have absolutely nothing to contribute.
I’m really tired anyhow. I think I’ll blow out the BlackBerry and toddle off to bed and see if I can get a decent night’s sleep.
Joseph Nobles
I have suspicions that a Slingbox is the contraption you’re looking for, though I could be wrong.
briber
Off the top of my head, this sounds like what you are looking for: WD TV Live
Ed Marshall
Second thought is wireless is slow and sloppy. You can’t run some cat-5 through the walls?
Steeplejack
Must belatedly report that I went up to Philadelphia last weekend to see Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, starring Kathleen Turner, at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. Excellent show. And that’s not just my opinion. It has broken all attendance records in the 35-year history of the PTC, and its one-month run has been extended for a week (through this coming weekend, I think). And there’s talk of taking it to New York in the fall or in ’11. Highly recommended to you Philadelphians.
Also ate like a hound while I was up there. My trip companion (full disclosure–one of the play’s authors) is also the coauthor of Food Finds: America’s Best Local Foods and the People Who Produce Them, so when she says we should eat somewhere I don’t argue. Managed to hit Nick’s Roast Beef and Pat’s King of Steaks in the same day. Ecstasy.
Article here from the New York Times about the play.
Celebutante lifestyle report over. Won’t even mention that I went out for drinks with Kathleen Turner after the show.
Annie
@Mike Kay:
Yes…. Harry Reid’s challenger in Nevada, Ms. Sue, suggests instead of HCR, we should bring chickens to our doctors as payment for services rendered…
+ after this, stop counting…
Ailuridae
Nobilo makes some world class wines at their price point. I’m blessed in that I get one of America’s finest Pinot Noirs (they also do excellent Pinot Gris and Pinto Blanc) at cost so I basically don’t drink anything else wine wise.
For any golf nerds – Nobilo is not Frank Nobilo’s joint but his uncle or cousin does own it.
dopealope
@mr. whipple:
Mostly, but if I were buying it now, I’d forgo the remote controller (I bought the Duet). The iPhone/iPod Touch app iPeng is just as good.
Yutsano
@Steeplejack: Name-dropper. :)
WaterGirl
As long as we’re asking technical questions… I want to buy a domain name. Should I use Go Daddy? Google? Someone else?
Ed Marshall
Slingbox is a useless ass contraption and something that’s absolutely going to piss you off especially for trying to send your own signal to the other end of your house. It’s a workaround for when you have a friend that can get a ballgame that’s blocked by your local cable company but not much more than that.
robertdsc
I don’t know about wireless stuff but I think the wired path would be Mac audio out /receiver audio in/receiver audio out to TV/TV set to an alternate input.
Can you tell more about your TV and how many inputs it has?
beltane
@xjmueller: That’s what we did, except it meant moving the receiver up to the bedroom to be next to the PC, mostly because we are too lazy to rig something more impressive.
Now that my husband and I are officially in the over 40 category, our main thrill in life is to get drunk and laugh til we cry listening to Dutch pop stations on I Tunes.
Bob K
You might be a $ocialist/DFH/Community Organizer if:
You give a rat’s ass what you drink – even if it’s homebrew bathtub gin – as long as it hits you like a freight train.
You have any kind of X-Box, Play Station, or Wee. Shootin’ varmints in the back yard with an AK-47 should be enough fun for any red blooded merrican.
You have surround sound anything. God gave us a volume control for a reason. Crank those speakers up full blast – play it all night long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjTQqJXtgs
I’d trade the entire Prescott Bush progeny just to have Warren Zevon back again. Cheney’s ain’t worth shit – never have been DICK will die a DICK and nobody will shed a tear except maybe Lord Murdcocx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUyNBEzJTNE
El Cruzado
+1 to an Airport Express. Works like a charm as long as you’re using iTunes. I use it all the time plugged to my basement surround system of DOOM.
Also, if you’re using the mac, you can stream any sound to it using Airfoil () which happens to be made by a guy I know but also works as advertised.
gbear
John, you need one of these.
Mike Kay
@robertdsc:
that’s what she said…
mr. whipple
@dopealope:
Thanks. It’s been a while since I looked into these things(do I really need more media choices?) but the thing that disappointed me is that they all seem to have access limitations. For instance, some are allied with Pandora but I might want to stream from some other website or the Live Music Archive, etc. It would seem like someone could design one that could do it all.
ChockFullO'Nuts
I just bought a BluRay DVD player that is equipped for streaming off an internet connection, and it comes with the software for the Netflix interface to do just that.
It took about 3 minutes to plug in the ethernet cable, spark up the interface, and activate the device. At the 5 minute point I was watching a streaming movie off Netflix.
Couldn’t possibly be easier. Even a Republican can do it.
Insignia NS-BRDVD3 Blu-Ray disc player, in store at Best Buy
Ed Marshall
@ChockFullO’Nuts:
You got it. Run the wire and hook that bad boy up, you will be glad you did. Beats the hell out of sunspots or rain messed up my wireless to video homebrew set up.
Twisted Martini
Stay away from the Linksys Music Bridge. The thing never worked properly and rarely was able be link up with my network. I currently use a PS3 with PS3 Media Server which streams all my iTunes playlists as well as ripped movies wirelessly. Love it.
MinneapolisPipe
The Zealanders like to grow their sauv blancs in their cool climates, which leads to a very crisp and intense citrus-like flavor that you rarely see in the California versions.
Plus, it’s one of the few wines that work well with curries.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@Annie: And she’s beating Harry Reid in the polls by ten points. She could through in a turkey and leave Harry standing in the dust.
But then I could be drinking again, who knows these days.
Brian J
Every have Monkey Bay Sav Blanc? It’s also from New Zealand. When I worked as a waiter back in college, one of the restaurants I worked at served this. It was one of the first wines I remember liking, although that may have just been because my tongue was even more unrefined than it is now and because there were monkeys on the bottle. Still, it’s not really expensive, so if you can find it, you should try it.
El Cid
Spaten Optimator, +2.
daveNYC
I’ve got a Squeezebox Boom that I’m happy with. Works as my clock radio. The network connection to the intertubes is fine, but the connection to the computer is iffy sometimes. That’s on a mac though.
Linkmeister
@WaterGirl: Dotster worked fine for me, and they’ve auto-renewed both domains every year without a glitch.
El Cid
Anyone here ever watch the Masterchef Australia series last summer? It started again for this summer. Blows every other cooking competition show away for viewing quality.
limniade
I have a Roku. It streams Netflix, Pandora, Amazon and a few other channels. You can buy one with integrated wireless if you like; I got the HD one without wifi because my TV is only a few feet away from my router; it was easier to just connect it directly.
I too would like to hear more about the Squeezebox from a post-purchase standpoint. I sell the things (in a manner of speaking) but I’ve never used one. I have to say that I really enjoy having Pandora on my TV (see Roku above), and I’ll let it play while I work, but it’d be nice to have a receiver in the bedroom upstairs as well.
ChockFullO'Nuts
@Ed Marshall:
To complete my review … the picture and sound are not distinguishable from that from a DVD playing in the machine. There is no stutter or tiling or any bad digital tv things, just rock solid movie after movie, all the way through.
All of this off a cheap DSL connection rated at 7mbs that costs me about $30 bucks a month. Which has also, surprisingly, been easier and steadier than my former cable broadband connection, and cheaper. And more fault tolerant. I can unplug the phone line from the mdoem, and plug it back in ten minutes later, and my internet connections just pick up where they left off, as if nothing happened. Don’t even have to reboot the modem.
Color me a satisfied customer.
RareSanity
Actually John, if you decide to buy something to do this, it’s probably best just to go ahead and buy a PS3 slim.
It does the streaming you’re looking for, plus it’s a Blu-ray player (one of the best on the market, btw).
I think you can play games on it, also, too.
Zuzu's Petals
Terrible news about the Deepwater Horizon.
My son was on the deck crew on that rig for five years. They outran Katrina.
Brian J
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
Do you really think he’s going to lose? My gut tells me no, if only because it would look pathetic if he lost in what isn’t a deep red state, which means the party will put out all the stops to win, even at the expense of other races. But still, even in the best polls, he’s down by, what, seven or eight points? It’s still far from election day, but I’d really like to see the race tightening before I feel better.
Martin
I use Front Row on a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV through my receiver. It can pull content from other computers around the house, but is primarily the repository for movies, music, photos etc. that gets pulled out to other places. I have a plugin which hooks Boxee into Front Row so I can also stream all the Boxee channels to the Mini (but not to the other machines around the house).
It’s not the simplest setup, but it’s not horrible either. Also not the cheapest solution (about $600), but you have a lot of flexibility because it’s pretty open. The Mini is tiny as well.
robertdsc
/badgers Cole for his PSN so we can play MW2 together, lol.
srv
Yeah, all these blu-ray players are adding wifi now, I don’t know what the best is, but it will become ubiqutous in the next few months.
I’d beware of the PS3, they keep disabling features that have previously been supported.
Some of these netbooks are already supporting HDMI out, so for $300-400, you can have wifi 1080p. I’d just wait a couple months for the tech to get properly reviewed by others.
+3 IPAs, not that that should affect my commentary any.
burnspbesq
@mr. whipple:
Had a Squeezebox, but there is so much other activity on our wireless network that it was plagued by dropouts, so we switched to a Sonos system.
Keith G
@ Cole: I watched it too. I was wipping my eyes 5 minutes in.
Aiden is such a sweet and up kiddo. Glad the program worked out for him, and the others too.
demo woman
@limniade: I did the same thing. You can hook up wires and drag from your pc to your tv but roku is much easier.
RareSanity
@srv:
I think those reports are a little overblown. If you buy it as a device on which you can play games, watch Blu-ray movies, and stream other media, you’ll never have a problem.
It’s more of the “power user” items that are getting nix’d.
Janet Strange
I love my Sonos. Amazingly good speakers (imo, but I’m no audiophile). Plays anything on your iTunes, Pandora, internet radio stations. The thing itself is plugged into the wall outlet, but it talks to your router for content. What I like is that I can just unplug it and carry it anywhere in the house or outside when I’m working in the garden (w/ extension cord). Just audio – not a solution for video.
Supposedly you can control it from your phone as well, though I have an antique cell phone so I haven’t tried that. Here’s some reviews.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@Brian J: Nevada is a weird state. Outside the big cities where the gambling and other vice industries aren’t, it is basically Utah, or very deep red. Harry has a lot of connections, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled it out, but there are an awful lot of tea bag type wingnuts who are fired up in general against dems. So who knows if a loon like this lady might end up in the senate.
And I will say, though I have given Harry some shit in recent times, he kept plugging along on HCR, that is highly unpopular in the state he is running for reelection in, and didn’t quit, even though passing HCR was very bad for him in NV. I would say even a profile in courage, that senators are not known for.
Annie
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
Honestly…I just don’t get it. This is one of the more insane things I have heard…Maybe, I am wrong. But, I can’t imagine showing up at my doctor’s office with poultry…I think the Republican leadership wants his/her type…idiots easily controlled….If Reid can’t exploit this absurdity, than what to say…He should ask constituents to show up on mass at doctors office with farm animals and see what happens…
Kisses to Charlie…
Zuzu's Petals
@Zuzu’s Petals:
Sorry, I meant to say he was part of the marine/ship crew. As opposed to the drilling crew.
burnspbesq
The basic Squeezebox and Sonos are both limited to CD-res files (44.1/16). If you want to stream hi-res audio, it’s going to cost you two grand for the Squeezebox’s big brother, the Logitech Transporter.
Also, the internal digital-to-analog converters on all of these units are for shit. If you want real quality, budget for an external DAC.
Ed Marshall
@ChockFullO’Nuts:
John, seriously, this is what you want. Fuck wireless. If you are hellbent on doing it without stringing any wire I have some ideas, but this is the way to go.
BDeevDad
OMG, Anderson Cooper just destroyed an Arizona politician on the birther bill and is continuing to do so.
burnspbesq
@Janet Strange:
“Supposedly you can control it from your phone as well, though I have an antique cell phone so I haven’t tried that.”
The Sonos controller app is outstanding (if you have wi-fi in your house), and a 16 gig iPod Touch is a lot less expensive than the Sonos controller.
Brian J
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
But even if his state is Utah outside of Vegas, they’ve elected him before, or at least not been so pissed at him to turn out in large enough numbers to vote for his opponent. This leads me to think that this is more of an anti-incumbent thing than anything else–and not just in Nevada, but in a lot of the states where there are close races. Fortunately, the margins are small enough that I think it’s reversible.
As far as Reid himself goes as a leader in the Senate, I’m not sure I could try to work with some of those people without drinking myself into a stupor each day. Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson are bad enough, but you have to be near assholes like David Vitter, John Kyl, and Jim DeMint and not punch them in the throat? I don’t know how he does it.
Liberty60
Being on the West Coast, just caught Chris Hayes on Countdown acting crazy, violating FCC standards by uttering the obscene and vulgar sentiment that the US is “ruled by an entrenched financial oligarchy”
This after he announced that Obama approached HCR with conciliation, and was met with aggression; then approached banking reform with aggression and was met with conciliation.
In other news, bullies were found to have backed down when confronted.
hoocoodanode?
mikey
I decided I wanted to do this last year, John. Seems like it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Let me just say ARRRGGHHH. And I build networks for a living!
But anyway, tried bluetooth, too many problems, pulled it. Tried the Linksys music bridge, perfect device, unbelievably crappy software, unusable.
Ended up with the 99 dollar apple airport express. Now, mind, I’m not an apple guy, I’m a linux/open source guy, and other than my iPod I don’t own an apple product. And this thing, I didn’t buy it because it was from apple, I bought it because it conforms to standards and it WORKS. So here’s the deal. You plug it in, you introduce it to your cable router, you plug it into the RCAs on your amp/stereo/HT, and you’re done. Oh. Except you have to use iTunes as your music player. But it works perfectly from anywhere on the network, sending music to the stereo. And installation was stupid simple and the things smaller than a pack o’smokes…
mikey
keestadoll
Logitech Boombox John–we have three and you can have each set to any internet channel you want. No video, just audio.
Meridy
It’s the Malborough region of New Zealand that produces those wonderful citrusy, green Sauvignon Blancs. Sauv Blancs from other regions of New Zealand don’t taste the same at all.
Roger Moore
@Brian J:
It also makes me think that some of the Republicans’ advantage is going to disappear when they have to stand up and present their own positions. It’s all well and good to run on a platform of hating the incumbent, but there are limits to how far anti-incumbent sentiment is going to get you. “Anybody but Reid” sounds good as an answer when the alternative is a generic Republican challenger, but when it’s some whack-a-loon who thinks the solution to our health care mess is to barter chickens for medical care, some of those unhappy voters are going to change their minds and vote for sanity.
Brian J
@Roger Moore:
Yes, that’s true. That’s why I will believe this up until, say, perhaps the middle of October: there are more than enough sane people in the states where we are struggling that we can reach so that it’s justified pounding the pavement from now until election day. And if we can’t convince previously registered voters, why not try to find new ones?
andynotadam
I’m with Mikey. I have an Apple Airport Express plugged into the wall behind my stereo. From there you hook it up to your receiver. I use a Toslink digital connection because I have a digital input on my receiver (Linn iMovie), but you can also use a standard stereo mini-plug to RCA cable for the hook up. I send lossless iTunes content from a MacBook to the Express and it sounds better than inserting a CD directly into the Linn. Dunno why, but it does. Mikey likes it, I like it.
DP
Regarding yout tech question:
It is a complicated thing, all depends on what kind of media you are planning on streaming. Video files? Ripped DVDs? Internet/youtube?
I use a PS3 to play video files stored on a PC on the network (wired) and it works okay, not very robust, but you do get a blu-ray player and, of course, awesome gaming system.
If you want a hardware device the most complete thing I have seen is the popcorn hour c-200, pretty pricey though and reviews have been mixed, a PS3 is not that much more expensive.
hamletta
@Annie: It’s going viral. The DSCC is starting a “Chickens for Checkups” Web site, and today a spox from the NV Dem party went to Lowden’s campaign office with a goat for a campaign contribution. (Can’t find the damn article I read, but it was hilarious.)
I’m with the General on the Harry love. Back when the Repubs held the Senate, he used to bedevil poor Bill Frist like a trickster god.
Google the Esquire profile on him. His life story is right out of Steinbeck, with some Scorcese thrown in. He may be a wiry little old-ish guy, but he’s one tough old bird.
El Cid
There are an awful lot of PC’s with HDMI out, small form configuration which lay sideways so you can load discs just like a DVD player, and even have Blu-Ray players, and you can get cheap remotes to run their Windows Media Center functions.
As much as there’s bitching about Windows & Microsoft etc., this is about as easy and powerful as it gets. Add an ATSC/cable tuner card or USB device, and you’ve got a free DVR complete with TV programming guide.
A bit more than a PS3, but you can surf the web, and blog too.
Roger Moore
On the tech question, you should consider getting a nettop. They’re basically a netbook-class processor, memory, and hard-drive, but put into a tiny computer case. They’re designed to be plugged into a TV to serve as an entertainment center, but you can obviously use one as a regular PC, too, as long as you don’t try to do anything too processor intensive.
Corner Stone
@El Cid: I had forgotten how good a few beers could really be. My intake isn’t really about beer anymore.
But Spaten and Salvator make me want to believe again.
Corner Stone
Anybody seen You Don’t Say round lately?
We have a friendly wager on the NFL draft tomorrow.
Corner Stone
PanAmerican
@Zuzu’s Petals:
Terrible. Especially when there were stories floating about find the missing crew members.
Compared to Upper Big Branch the blogsphere has been silent.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@Annie:
Charlie says Hi Annie!
mak
SomeBlue Ray players can stream Netflix and other video services.
Phoenician in a time of Romans
As regards the wine, you might have a good year – reports are that there’s been a bit of overproduction, so you might find some cheap NZ Sauv Blanc on the market.
El Cid
@Corner Stone: Really good beers are just as good as you could imagine a drink to be.
Journeywoman
The Western Digital Live people have mentioned also has a USB port that can be connected to an external hard drive or a flash drive if the speed of the wireless network is presenting problems – we use it that way all the time. It’s a feature you might want to look for as a backup in whatever device you wind up getting.
Zuzu's Petals
@PanAmerican:
I think people had their hopes up because the rigs have escape capsules for just these sorts of situations.
J Bean
I’m another satisfied Squeezebox user. I’ve had mine for about 4 years now. It works great, easy to use. I can control it from my Windoze laptop or my Linux box. I have a Logitech internet radio as my bedroom clock radio, too. Good products.
Anne Laurie
@Steeplejack:
Right now I am so jealous of you, it’s making my teeth hurt. I would make a serious effort to get down to NYC to see that… and I hardly ever take the trouble to go the 25 miles into Boston for my kulchar!
Steeplejack
@Anne Laurie:
Leaving aside my connection with the author and my shameless name-dropping, it really was a good play. Captured Ivins’s fire and her humor, and of course there were a lot of “greatest hits” lines. But I was surprised at how emotional it was in places. I teared up a couple of times.
The night I saw it there was a group of about 50 or 60 Texans in the audience who had come up under the auspices of The Texas Observer and some other organization (Texas Democracy Foundation?). Some of them had known Ivins personally, and they gave Turner good marks for getting Ivins’s accent and presence.
I’ll be sure to post here as things develop.
bob h
My Rottweiller was seriously disturbed by the dog program. He thinks the dogs are real, and charges the TV screen. The cartoon dog on Wallace and Gromit even bothers him. I just have to accept that he is a big dummy.
WaterGirl
@Linkmeister: Late coming back to the thread, but thank you!
yoodow
John,
Here is a good summary on streaming:
“http://lifehacker.com/5516945/the-best-tools-for-streaming-media-to-your-gadgets”
Fergus Wooster
John,
It might be worth it for you to buy the PS3. The Xbox can be tricky and may require hacking. But the PS3 you can set up and almost immediately begin streaming (even a technology retard like me).
Plus you can share your Itunes and any movie files with your network and access them from the PS3. It’s been so effective for us we’re about to cancel our cable altogether, and just do everything via broadband.
James in WA
@Fergus Wooster: I’ve found that trying to stream movies directly to the PS3 (i.e., to watch them off the network disk) is really irritating, as it jerks and stops every few seconds as it rebuffers. It’s not a problem if I just tell it to copy the movie over to the PS3 and then play it, but it’s annoying that I can’t just stream it.
Other than that, I agree with you 100%. Netflix over PS3 is the best.
Polish the Guillotines
High School Confidential ! An amazing piece of cinema. Dig this, cats.
I’ve got one of the original Squeezboxes (since before Logitech purchased Slim Devices).
It’s very cool, but the software has always given me some kind of issue or another. Mostly we stream internet radio and actually rarely listen to our CD rips. Still, it does its job pretty well.
One thing I’d advise is to go wired, not wireless. Your streaming will be more reliable that way.
Awktalk
For video/audio streaming, I use the Popcorn Hour.
I give it rave reviews, at least for the basic things I use it for which is streaming of video and audio. I have the older version, the A-110, which doesn’t have a hard drive in it. You don’t have to go buy the most expensive one if you don’t plan to dork out on all the features. You can get a used one on eBay for around $100 if you really don’t want to make the investment. You also don’t need it to be wireless if your TV and router are near each other.
The only complaint I have is that about 1 in every 20 movies it will get stuck in the middle and I’ve got to restart the film and then find the place it got stuck. But it’s a minor annoyance.