Author Archives: Steve Mays
Programming Tivo from web
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We’ve been DirecTV users since it began. When Tivo came along, that seemed like a natural extension. I frequently use the web to check the DirecTV listings but just discovered I can also program the Tivo via the web.
Let’s say I’m sitting here in the Coffee Zone, surfin’ and slurpin’ and see that there’s some special on HBO tonight but I won’t be home to watch or record. Just log in, find the channel and program, click the Record to Receiver link and you’re set.
Oliver Stone’s “W”
I might be the last person to figure this out but, based on this trailer, Stone appears to tackle two questions: “How in the hell did George W. Bush ever become president of the United States?” And, “What happened to him before he got to the Oval Office that made him so inept once there?” Or maybe that’s one question.
Sputnik Monroe
Long before the glitz and glamor that is “professional wrestling” today, Memphis, Tennessee, was something of a mecca for the… let’s not call it a sport… for the business. Some of the big names of the day would also appear in small town venues, including the VFW in Kennett, Missouri. From here, I’ll let Michael Spooner share his Brush With Near Greatness:
“For those who may not know, Sputnik Monroe was a celebrated Memphis wrestler in the late 1950’s and 60’s. He, along with many other wrestlers, came to Kennett to fight. I recall, at least in Kennett, no one seemed to like Sputnik since he had this ‘bad guy’ reputation. And for a couple of seasons we, too, did our share of booing Sputnik. Until the day, one Saturday afternoon, when he came to our home as a guest for dinner. This wasn’t a complete surprise since we were warned of his visit. Nevertheless, my sisters and I were shaking in our boots, while at the same time, immensely excited that an ‘almost movie star’ was coming to our house.
Well how did this happen, you ask? First of all, Sputnik and my mother never dated. My mother, however, did date a wonderful guy named Skip Pepper from Memphis for a few years in the late 50’s. At the time Skip owned a Dollar Store in Kennett, located on the north west corner of the town square. Skip knew Sputnik as a friend (we didn’t know this until we learned of his coming to dinner). It was Skip who arranged the visit.”
It’s a shame Michael’s mom never dated Sputnik. A guy could do a lot worse than “My Mom Dated Sputnik Monroe” for the title of an autobiography.
From Sputnik’s Wikipedia entry: On May 4, 2007, HBO announced they would make a movie based on Monroe’s life. On September 6, 2007 Julien Nitzberg confirmed the first draft of the Sputnik movie had been completed. A Los Angeles-based rock band is named after him. More on Sputnik Monroe. And I found this tribute to Sputnik following his death.
If you were with me here at the Coffee Zone, I could demonstrate the Man’s signature “Sputnik Strut.”
X-Files: Hard to Believe
I wanted to believe the new X-Files movie would be a good follow-up to the first movie and the TV series. I was a fan of both and had high hopes for the new film which Barb and I watched last night. What a stinker.
This is where I’d insert a spoiler alert but I just don’t think there’s anything to spoil. But I’ll give you my fuzzy understanding of the plot after the jump.
The magazine cover has nothing to do with the new film. I just wanted some kind of reminder of Scully and Mulder when they were still hot.
“The web is your future”
“A lot of experienced news people — whether broadcast or print — feel like they’ve been baited and switched, that they were trained and hired to do one thing but are now being required to do something else. That’s understandable, but it’s also completely irrelevant.”
— Terry Heaton
zPhone
My new zPhone arrived yesterday and it’s everything I hoped it would be. I sprung for the white patent leather shoulder harness so I have a feeling I’ll be turning heads when I pull this rascal out.
I haven’t figured out how to set it to vibrate but I’m told you know when you have a call.
My favorite feature, however, is the paper print out of missed calls.
I opted for the International Orange model, but the zPhone also comes in camo. Sold out, of course.
Life aboard the USS Learfield
“Happiness Is A Choice”
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I’ve been thinking some about fear and happiness recently, so these excerpts from an article by Roger Fransecky (“Happiness Is A Choice”) caught my attention:
“Dan Baker’s book, What Happy People Know, confirms the wisdom of the research into what (Dr. Martin) Seligman calls “authentic happiness” and “learned optimism.” Baker notes that a major barrier to happiness is fear. He writes, “We all have a neurological fear system embedded deep within our brains, a neural network that once helped us survive as a species, but now limits our lives. The biological circuitry of fear is the greatest enemy of happiness.”
We’ve written about how fear binds us, edits our hopes and diminishes our potential for happiness. Baker reminds us that fear is the repository for our past traumas, our fear of the future and our archaic instinctual terrors. Fear can be a gift, our way of staying out of the darkness and moving into the light of awareness and new beginnings. But if our fears own us, we have to break free…by awareness of those fears, and through the courage to challenge our fears to see if they are still real.”
For additional information on “neurological fear systems embedded deep within our brains,” reference the work of Dr. Warren Chapin.
What brings people to smays.com?
A week ago I added SiteMeter to get a better handle on the trickle of traffic we get here at smays.com. One of the many features is a map showing location of recent visitors. I was curious about my visitor from Japan so I clicked on the dot and it pulled up a variety of information, including what he/she found (Google search) that brought them to my door. Irashaimasu.
