I do, and since cable providers have to carry the local networks' digital broadcasts via Clear-QAM, I even watch them in HD. If I were really frugal (i.e. not married), I could ditch my cable subscription altogether and fetch those Clear-QAM broadcasts OTA with an antenna. Live sporting events are the easiest to enjoy without submitting to the cable company.

Yes, I can do without if the game isn't on a major network. A man's got to know his limitations.

I've done it successfully before, but it required a custom built version of LIRC and some hacking at shell scripts. Not impossible or difficult, but even with a MythTV installation, I just wanted a straightforward setup without the additional STB profaning my TV cabinet.

Hence, I gave up on HD from the cable company save for the Clear-QAM channels recorded with my HDHomerun. We get all of the major broadcast networks and several PBS stations, and that seems to gratify my wife and me. Everything else is standard definition. Not gorgeoous but cheap and malleable from an end-user standpoint.

Digital cable is a no go until we can plug the cable into the device of my choice (w/ assistance from a CableCard if necessary) and peruse as we see fit. Simplicity trumps value, AV quality, and all other incentives to upgrade for us.

demonlapin probably uses AT&T. My wife and I just bought her mother a cell phone. AT&T is the carrier that most folks in her small town in a hilly part of the country use, so we opted to get a plan with them.

We check her bill a week after getting the plan and there were several text message charges. A real headscratcher, because her mom is a major technophobe. No way she sent any text messages.

Turns out AT&T sends your phone text messages when you make changes to your plan/profile online which my wife did. Bizarre, but you get charged for those text messages from AT&T. Had to call them to get that sorted out.

Insane. My wife and I are going to get new cell phones and ditch the landline (hers, I moved in, I swear) in the next couple of months. This experience has us looking elsewhere than AT&T for our service.

I actually prefer the Logitech Marble Mouse, because the trackball is controlled by my index and (to a lesser extent) middle fingers. Considerably faster and more precise than with the thumb controlled ball.

Big drawback is the lack of a scroll wheel on the Marble Mouse though. Best paired with a keyboard that has a scroll wheel on the left side. Best I ecame across in that regard was a Logitech Internet Navigator, but it had unforgiveable function keys that were programmed for weird functions rather than the standard F1-F12 keys. Had to hit a function-lock button every time I booted.

If anyone has a recommendation for a keyboard with scroll wheel (preferrably on the left side of the keyboard so it can be used with the non-mouse hand), I'll friend you.

I have been considering this more of late as I utilize my new netbook. It's my first portable computer ever; I've clutched to my desktop since the beginning of time.

My comfort with this is directly related to who I can trust to store my data with. Right now, it's not a big enough need, so I'm reluctant. However, I can see my needs growing to a point where I'm going to take the plunge.

Any recommendations or horror stories anyone wants to share are welcome here.

I disagree. I see the mobile computing market falling into three categories now:

1) Smartphones. These are taking the place of the netbooks of old that were tiny (i.e. 9-10"). Plenty capable of doing e-mail, texting, IM, etc., and somehow, folks are browsing the web with them too.

2) Newer netbooks. Anywhere from 9-12" with an emphasis on low power consumption and better battery life. You do e-mail, web, and all of that jazz as with smartphones but with considerable amentities that make traditional computing possible (e.g. better keyboard, larger screen, numerous ports for expandability).

3) Desktop replacement laptops. Anything larger and more powerful than the netbook described in #2. They come with even larger screens, full sized keyboard with numeric keypads, discrete graphics chips, and beefier internals like large hard drives, optical drives, multiple cores, and Library of Congress sized RAM. While "portable," the downside is that you're chained to an electrical outlet, because these bad boys devour electricity. Some have coal-fired chipsets in them (just kidding).

I'd argue that #2 will be the largest source of growth in PCs (including smartphones) in the next few years. Unless you sleep in a different city every night or need to get your pixel shading game on, these new netbooks will fill your needs toward both ends of the scale very nicely. It's a big, wide bell curve that favors the new netbooks.

Yes, the ability to pump out video to an external monitor from a netbook is nice. I have a couple Asus EeePC 1000HEs one of which has replaced a traditional desktop.

That said, VGA looks like ass. When I replaced my wife's desktop which sported a video card with DVI, she complained rightly that it looked blurry.

I dunno. Ubiquity and availability of devices to plug into is fine and all, but I long for the day we can finally lower VGA connections into the ground.

And settling on a sensible case sensitivity methodology that empowers developers rather than hamstrings them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN2_czSBSD0&NR=1

Watch it all the way through. From 2:10 to the end is breathtaking.

Agreed and very well written.