After being one of the earliest customers back in 1999, I fell off the bandwagon for quite a while. About six months ago I finally got back on board and have really enjoyed it ever sense. I've watched movies, entire TV show seasons, and just finally got around to updating my XB0x 360 to enable Netflix's newest feature, streaming movies.
For select movies and TV shows, you can stream them to your computer or TV through various devices, including the XBox 360. The installation was easy (you get a code from the XBox you type into Netflix's website, which is much more convent than attempting to 'log in' via the XBox.) Taking a quick look at the Jericho pilot, the quality seems acceptable. It is 'good enough' that it isn't distracting or noticeable. It is certainly better than I expected.
I had dismissed the streaming feature as undesirable based on my (incorrect) assumptions about the quality, but I'll certainly give it a shot now.
If only I could get my XBox to be a bit quieter than an airplane taking off.
The Shield is Over
This week brought the Series Finale for The Shield. I've been a big fan of The Shield throughout its entire run and while I'm sorry to see it go I also appreciate that the show came to an end. The show had run its course.
There were 7 total seasons, and my favorites were 4 and 5. Season 4 brought Glenn Close to the barn and season 5 introduced Forest Whitaker. In these seasons the show had established its rhythm but there were still new stories to tell.
I was disappointed with much of this final season. It seemed excessively slow and and really dragged out as the end approached. I feel they really could have added a few episodes to season 6 and ended at a totally different pace. I won't spoil the ending but while I was disappointed with Season 7 in general I was content with how the series finally ended.
It wasn't a The Soprano's or Six Feed Under, but it few endings are.
All in all, this is a series well worth watching on DVD.
There were 7 total seasons, and my favorites were 4 and 5. Season 4 brought Glenn Close to the barn and season 5 introduced Forest Whitaker. In these seasons the show had established its rhythm but there were still new stories to tell.
I was disappointed with much of this final season. It seemed excessively slow and and really dragged out as the end approached. I feel they really could have added a few episodes to season 6 and ended at a totally different pace. I won't spoil the ending but while I was disappointed with Season 7 in general I was content with how the series finally ended.
It wasn't a The Soprano's or Six Feed Under, but it few endings are.
All in all, this is a series well worth watching on DVD.
I Survived
I survived my surgery.
It got started a little late but apparently went very well and I'm hoping for a quick recovery.
I've taken the down time to get up to speed on my open source projects and just put out new releases to iTunes Export and SOHT (Telnet over HTTP). Some of these patches have been languishing in my inbox for months, so I'm glad I got caught up.
It got started a little late but apparently went very well and I'm hoping for a quick recovery.
I've taken the down time to get up to speed on my open source projects and just put out new releases to iTunes Export and SOHT (Telnet over HTTP). Some of these patches have been languishing in my inbox for months, so I'm glad I got caught up.
iTunes Export 1.5 Released
A new version of my iTunes Export utility is available.
iTunes Export exports your iTunes playlists as M3U, WPL, or ZPL files, allowing you to setup playlists in iTunes and use them with other software or devices.
This release adds several fixes and enhancements that have build up in the last few months. They include:
Fixed issue with invalid characters in playlist filenames. Some characters are valid in playlist names (within iTunes), but not valid in filenames for the resulting playlist files. Thanks to Jeff Donnici.
Added Multi-Language support for GUI version. Descriptions now available in English and French. Thanks to Ayack for the translation.
Updated the Library reader and all playlist writers to use UTF-8 encoding to allow for foreign character sets. Thanks to Stephen JANNIN for the patch.
Changed the export routine to include audio streams (files that start with http://). However, it will not attempt to copy them if 'copy music' is selected.
Disabled tracks (tracks that are unchecked in iTunes) are now ignored. Thanks to Jeroen Leijen for the suggestion.
http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/
Please email me with new features or bug fixes (eric@ericdaugherty.com).
iTunes Export exports your iTunes playlists as M3U, WPL, or ZPL files, allowing you to setup playlists in iTunes and use them with other software or devices.
This release adds several fixes and enhancements that have build up in the last few months. They include:
Fixed issue with invalid characters in playlist filenames. Some characters are valid in playlist names (within iTunes), but not valid in filenames for the resulting playlist files. Thanks to Jeff Donnici.
Added Multi-Language support for GUI version. Descriptions now available in English and French. Thanks to Ayack for the translation.
Updated the Library reader and all playlist writers to use UTF-8 encoding to allow for foreign character sets. Thanks to Stephen JANNIN for the patch.
Changed the export routine to include audio streams (files that start with http://). However, it will not attempt to copy them if 'copy music' is selected.
Disabled tracks (tracks that are unchecked in iTunes) are now ignored. Thanks to Jeroen Leijen for the suggestion.
http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/
Please email me with new features or bug fixes (eric@ericdaugherty.com).
Socket over HTTP (SOHT) Java Client 0.6.2 Released
I released a new version of the Java client for SOHT today.
The goal of SOHT is to provide a simple tool that enables all types of socket communication through an HTTP Proxy server. This tool is useful for users who are behind a restrictive firewall and wish to access external servers that use protocols other than HTTP.
This release enables HTTPS connections and ignores Certificate warnings. This patch was provided by lowem. The patch has been out there a while but better late than never.
http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/soht/
The goal of SOHT is to provide a simple tool that enables all types of socket communication through an HTTP Proxy server. This tool is useful for users who are behind a restrictive firewall and wish to access external servers that use protocols other than HTTP.
This release enables HTTPS connections and ignores Certificate warnings. This patch was provided by lowem. The patch has been out there a while but better late than never.
http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/soht/
Star Trek
The teaser and trailer are out for the new Star Trek prequel. Apparently it will be released next May, but it looks like it was delayed from this Christmas as the teaser on the Apple site says Christmas 2008 but the same one on the official website says Summer 2009.
This is a franchise in serious need of revitalization. I think the idea of going back to explore Kirk's early years makes sense. He is the defining character of the franchise and certainly a deep well of story possibilities.
JJ Abrams is director and producer, and it will be interesting to see if he can bring new life. He has a solid TV resume (Felicity, Alias, Lost), and one of the writers on my favorite 'guilty pleasure' movie, Armageddon (I'm looking at you Ross).
I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll see.
This is a franchise in serious need of revitalization. I think the idea of going back to explore Kirk's early years makes sense. He is the defining character of the franchise and certainly a deep well of story possibilities.
JJ Abrams is director and producer, and it will be interesting to see if he can bring new life. He has a solid TV resume (Felicity, Alias, Lost), and one of the writers on my favorite 'guilty pleasure' movie, Armageddon (I'm looking at you Ross).
I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll see.
Surgery
After a year of pain, I've decided to get serious. I play soccer regularly and for the last year every time I played I had pain in my heel. As time went on it become more intense, and would flare up with any physical activity. It felt like a big bruise, but a visit to the Orthopedic Surgeon revealed that I had a bone spur on the back of my heel. After trying a series of alternatives, it eventually became clear that surgery was the next step.
I'm scheduled for surgery this week, and I'll be on crutches for at least the next 6 weeks. After that, it's at least another 6 weeks of a walking cast and then physical therapy after that. It is a long road back to the field but I'm hoping it will worth it.
Wish me luck.
I'm scheduled for surgery this week, and I'll be on crutches for at least the next 6 weeks. After that, it's at least another 6 weeks of a walking cast and then physical therapy after that. It is a long road back to the field but I'm hoping it will worth it.
Wish me luck.
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