I Finally Got My Roku!

My Roku was delivered while I was out of town over the weekend.  It is always iffy when I have anything delivered to our house in DC, because the mailman or UPS guy or whoever is delivering it hides it beside the planter on our stairs.  As we live in DC, there has been the occasion when things left at our door are not there by the time we get home.  Luckily, the Roku was still there after spending several days out in the elements.  Since it rained heavily while we were gone, the box was soaking wet, but luckily the Roku was not damaged.  

You may be asking, what the heck is this Roku?  It is an electronic device that uses the wireless Internet connection to connect my Netflix "Watch Instantly Queue" to my television.  There are literally thousands of movies, old television shows, and other programming available through the Netflix subscription.  

My only problem is that my television only has two inputs for an HDMI cable -- one goes to the cable box and one goes to the blu-ray DVD player.  I had to unplug the cable from the blu-ray and stick it in the Roku.  That means I have to switch them up whenever I want to use the one that isn't plugged in.  That is a bit cumbersome, but manageable.  I have seen an HDMI switcher I can buy to solve the problem, but I wanted to wait and see if I liked the Roku before I purchased the switcher.  

Also, in addition to Netflix, there are other channels you can get with the Roku.  The device synchs with various web sites to make it easier to play music and view photos and video from the computer.  One channel I started using right away is Pandora Radio, which plays music based on a favorite singer, composer, or song.  It generates playlists of similar music for free.  

I really do like the Roku.  I already have about 40 items in my "Instant Queue."  The main problem is that there is not enough time in the day to watch all the stuff I have to watch.  With the hours of programming I have stored on the DVR and the countless hours of movies and other programs available on Netflix, there is always lots of stuff to watch.  How am I going to find time to blog, read, and run?  Oh My!

That Sound Is Ted Kennedy Spinning In His Grave

President Obama got a message from "liberal" Massachusetts yesterday that I hope is a wake-up call about not putting off to tomorrow what can be done right now (and really should have already been done).  There are no guarantees in politics and the electorate is fickle.  Important issues like repealing Don't Ask, and Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act, passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and providing Federal Benefits for same-sex couples need to be addressed toot sweet. 

 

My guess is Obama didn't get the message.  My guess is that progress will continue to be painfully slow.  Let's just hope that something -- anything -- can be accomplished. 

 

Also, let's see what happens when this vote comes back to bite the people of Massachusetts in the butt.  Sure, the voters swallowed the Fox News bullshit hysteria about "Obamacare," they thinks Sarah Palin is American values incarnate, they love tea bagging and voted in centerfold Senator Brown--but let's see their reaction when they lose their health insurance because of a pre-existing condition or because they just can't afford to pay the crazy health insurance company premiums. 

 

Who are these voters going to blame when they are sick and can't get medical treatment?  Not themselves or Rush or Sean or Bill or Glenn... Just like the mess that the last Republican administration got us in was not any Republican's fault.  They only got us in two pointless wars and nearly wrecked the economy.  Why would the people of Massachusetts vote against their own self interest again?  Maybe they think they can get jobs at insurance companies.