I love my Kindle, and often find that critics of the device who claim that it has no benefit beyond a laptop or a paperback are simply not familiar enough with the device. Having said that, I'm not sure what the benefits of this thing (excuse me: tHIs THinG) are, over and above a separate netbook and e-reader. I can see some minor synergies, such as TFA's reference to sending search results to the e-ink half of the device, but is that really worth the extra weight and complexity? Of course, I don't think I can explain why the Courier needs two screens, either, but hot damn I want one anyway.

tHIs THinG may be perfect for a niche of readers, but I don't see this device going anywhere. That's too bad, because I want a much more diverse field of e-readers out there, in order to encourage publishers to settle on a uniform format. (Or, failing that, just to encourage Amazon to make the Kindle software platform hardware-independent.)

Actually, it's quite common - and quite Constitutional - for courts to maintain lists of vexatious litigants, and to restrict their filing in various ways.

It allowed you to see all the upcoming conflicts on one page, and to see multiple conflicts for each timeslot. You could see, for example, that six shows were competing for the 7-8 pm timeframe, and choose which one to record. (And whether it would be a one-time priority, or to bump it up on an ongoing basis.) You could also do this with a mouse, which I would love to do with the TiVo - their refusal to give us an online interface is baffling and irritating.

TiVo's system is smart enough to resolve most conflicts--smart enough that I don't normally need to resolve conflicts. But it would be nice to be able to see, once a week, what the upcoming conflicts are, and choose my own priorities for each one. Not a big deal, but it's the sort of thing TiVo should have implemented at some point in the last five or six years.

I'm a long-term TiVo user, but this story reminds me of my simmering frustration with TiVo. Years ago I used a Hauppauge card, and their interface had innovations that TiVo still hasn't picked up on, like a vastly superior conflicts-resolution system. Is there a decent alternative to TiVo, with a better interface? Cable-company solutions are generally poor, as I understand it, and I frankly don't have time to roll my own Myth system. (I would consider an out-of-the-box Myth product, though.) I'd appreciate informed recommendations.