The TWC box was slow. It lagged when changing channels or pressing buttons.  Basic tasks like scheduling a recording or deleting a recording took way too many steps and button pushes.  We missed the TiVo interface and the audio feedback of the plip-plops.  And streaming iTunes music through the entertainment center.  And the ability to transfer recordings to a computer. The worst part was that we rarely used the movies on demand, the only advantage that the TW cable box has over TiVo.

So here is how to ditch the bland box and use TiVo.  This is the procedure for Time Warner Cable in KCMO, but it should be similar for other cable systems. You need three things to get started:

1. A TiVo HD. $299 new or $199 rebuilt.  Even cheaper if you are a long-time TiVo customer.
2. Two CableCards. These little cards go inside the TiVo and let it get the HD channels.
3. An SDV Tuner. This device lets the TiVo get encrypted channels.This article explains SDV.

Call Time Warner and ask for an appointment for a technician to bring you numbers 2 and 3. Be aware that many front-line reps aren’t familiar with this process, so be persistent.  I have found that when I call in the late even my call often goes right to tech support instead of sales, and to people who know about this stuff.

While waiting for your appointment, go ahead and setup the TiVo without the HD channels.  Just connect it to the cable and go through the guided setup.  TWC will install the cards in your TiVo, attach the SDV tuner, and you will be good to go for all HD channels in your package.

Caveat: On-Demand channels
The one thing TiVo can’t do yet is the on-demand movies. If this is important to you, then you will have to wait until the cable companies release the CableCard 3.0 standard, which is supposed to allow third-party boxes to access on-demand content.

There are alternatives like Netflix and Amazon Unbox, which are built into TiVo HD.  Any Netflix movie available for Watch Instantly can be watched on the TiVo.  Amazon offers thousands of movies for download to your computer and/or TiVo, both for rent and purchase. TiVo HD also has Blockbuster On Demand, Disney on Demand, and YouTube. There are even rumblings of Hulu possibly coming to TiVo. Overall, the selection is actually better than TWC on-demand.

Update: I forgot to mention the cost… TWC charges about $4/month for the CableCards.  Combined with the $13/month for TiVo, this setup is a little spendier than the TWC cable box.  However, TiVo does have some alternative plans like $10/month with a one year commitment.

I recently opened up Mail.app for the first time since upgrading to Snow Leopard, and discovered a really weird problem…  All attachments are rendered with Safari’s “missing plugin” icon.  I cannot click on the icon nor drag it to the desktop.  The only way I can access attachments is via the “Save” and “Quick Look” buttons. The problem happens on received messages as well as message composition windows.

I have tried all of the usual suspects with no luck… rebuilding mailboxes, deleting the mail folder and preference files and starting over, rebooting, etc.  I also added a second, non-Gmail IMAP account.  Plus, attachments are fine in other mail clients.  This seems to be a problem specific to Mail.app.

Anyone else seen this before?  FYI, I’m running 10.6.1 with all updates.

I wasn’t in the mood for computer surgery, so I was intriqued by some comments on the post talking about cleaning the lens without taking anything apart.  While Q-Tips were mentioned, I went with the suggestion to insert a credit card wrapped in a thin t-shirt.  That one did the trick, and now I have functioning optical drive again.

Tuner, $5.99
This is an awesome Shoutcast client that provides access to hundreds of online music stations, plus any broadcast station with an MP3 stream.  I use it most for Soma.FM’s excellent stations and to stream local NPR affiliate KCUR-FM.

WeatherBug, free
The best weather client I have found so far.  It has two things that are essential in the Midwest, yet lacking in the built-in weather app: radar and heat index/wind chill.

Twinkle, free
This is my favorite Twitter client so far. Twitterific gets all the attention, but I find Twinkle’s leaner layout and feature set to be more to my taste.

AOL Radio, free
Another good source of online music.  The channels are programmed by professionals and include several broadcast stations owned by CBS Radio.

Facebook, free
This one is well done and works well.  I find myself using it more than the standard Facebook web site. The photo upload functionality is especially nifty.

Adobe Creative Suite has become the Microsoft Office for right-brained people. They simply ran out of really useful things that people needed so they just piled on things people didn’t.