Top 10 Geek Movies

10. While this probably isn't a true geek movie, it still had quite a following. Killer Klowns from Outer Space was a hilarious attempt at a horror flick. If you're looking for a horror movie that has the same feel as "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", then this movie is for you.

9. As much as he annoyed us, Pee-wee Herman seemed to fit the bill when it came to nerds. We all seemed to hate him out loud, but deep inside we had a desire to keep watching this movie again and again. So, Pee-wee's Big Adventure comes in at number 9 in my Top 10 Geek Movies list.

8. While these guys were never nerds or geeks, they sure were outcasts, and therefore fall into the same category. Plus, who can fault a bunch of high school guys for trying to get into a strip club? Porky's comes along with two sequels and a fair amount of female nudity. If you've never seen these classics, take the time to rent these.

7. Of course, this movie is a fan of many. The 40 Year Old Virgin not only has some great comedy, but also some gratuitous nudity. Andy is a geek who hasn't had sex in his entire life. His friends push him towards sex, but he ends up finding romance instead.

6. Summer school was never this exciting when I went, but this group of students makes class exciting. Then again, the teacher had just as much fun. Summer School has a lot of great comedy with a young Courtney Thorne Smith and Kirstie Alley.

5. The guys from Weird Science really play the role of the geek. Although I can't blame them for using a computer to try and summon out Kelly LeBrock. The one downfall to this movie is that there was plenty of opportunity for nudity, yet none was ever shown. For a movie like this from the 80's I would have expected some, but it was directed by John Hughes.

4. A big cult followed this movie after its release and it became a great hit. Napoleon Dynamite is the ultimate geek. He is able to use his great dance "skills" to become a legend at his school. Filled with a lot of great subtle humor, it is a great movie for all.

3. You can't think of nerds without thinking of this next movie. Revenge of the Nerds really shows the stereotypical nerd of the 80's. Today nerds and geeks can more safely roam the halls of our high school or college...as they know we can fix their computers and gadgets. Not to mention, we usually make a decent amount of money for our knowledge. Filled with great geek humor, and of course boobs, this movie is great 80's fun.

2. This movie really got me interested in computers and what I could do with them. Although it is made in 1983, it is still a great movie even though the technology is dated. This was back in the day when a hacker was a true hacker and not a script kiddie. All in all, this movie made me want to become a nerd. WarGames is an excellent geek movie, which is why is it number two on my list. Matthew Broderick plays a nerd who stumbles upon a government computer with his modem and gets into some highly classified trouble. This is a great movie for all.

1. After watching WarGames and essentially becoming the geek I am today, I stumbled across my number 1 movie. This, I decided, was what I wanted to ultimately do with my skills. I wanted to overcome any obstacle, have plenty of smart nerdy friends, and use the newest technology. While I may have fell a bit short with my goals, this is exactly what goes on in Sneakers. A group of nerds go after a corporation that has technology that could be used for the wrong purposes. In the process they show some great innovation and interesting technology that made me want to follow in their steps.

Well folks, that was my top 10 geek movies. Did I miss one? Let me know if you think there was one that should have been on my list!

Reduced Cable Bill?

Over the past few years advocates have been touting that A La Carte cable TV packages would be much cheaper than the way packages and tiers are sold today. The cable companies say that this is not feasible with the technology today. Personally, I think that both sides don't see the whole picture and whatever gets worked out, hopefully it is a good compromise.

The FCC published a study in 2006 that stated consumers could save as much as 13 percent on their cable bill if they could choose channels a la Carte style. They also noted that the average household only watches 17 channels. While I don't know about the percentages, but I could agree that the average family watches only 17 channels. Although the New York Times article does not address how the prices would be reduced, it just states that they could.

The New York Times has now reported that an a la Carte channel selection would be bland and actually cost us more. They state as an example that ESPN costs $3 per subscriber while everything is packaged, whether the subscriber watches the channel or not. In their scenario, ESPN would have to charge more for their channel if it were not included as a package to keep the same profits. The scenario says that they may have to charge up to $12 per subscriber.

Personally, I feel that ESPN will not have a problem keeping subscribers as it is one of the more popular channels. Opponents of a la Carte programing feel it is the smaller lesser known channels that are going to lose out on the deal. Because the smaller or independent channels are less likely to be known or wanted, they will have to charge more to keep the same profit, something most people are not willing to pay for.

Both scenarios have their ups and downs and I'm not sure if the grass is really greener on the other side. Would I like to have a la Carte programing? In short, yes. But I feel that in some way my bill wouldn't decrease by much. The programmers and cable companies will make sure that they still profit and that their revenues will not decrease. Until a new startup company comes in and creates some competition, prices will continue to rise.

Competition is the answer, I feel. I don't think satellite is really providing much competition to cable, but if IPTV or fiber optic cables become common place, I think that we might see a drop in prices as competition would be in full swing. The possibility of this happening is not too far from the present as AT&T is beginning to use phone lines to deliver TV, and Verizon is working on new technologies as well.

Hopefully we will be able to choose the channels that we would like to watch and have the cheaper price that we want as well. But until that day most will still spend an exorbitant amount of money for their cable.

Top 10 reasons I love Tivo

I have had my Tivo boxes for over three years now and I absolutely love them. At times I work odd shifts, so the time-shifting capabilities of the system are great. At work I tout the abilities and the features of Tivo. Many times I get a co-worker who will say that they enjoy their cable company's provided DVR, but to that I say BAH! I feel that the Tivo is superior and here are my top 10 reasons.

10. Internet Radio

From time to time I like to be able to listen to my favorite Internet radio station. This feature allows me to access it and play it over my home stereo (which is hooked up to my TV). This is not a feature on cable provided DVRs.

9. Amazon Unbox

Although most cable companies provide On-Demand type downloads, the Tivo equivalent is Amazon Unbox. It allows me to download movies and TV shows, but for a fee. Although, I get to keep these movies or TV shows because I have purchased them, unlike On-Demand.

8. Podcasts

I love being able to watch my video podcasts from the comfort of my living room or bedroom. From here I can watch my C|net clips, and other video podcasts that I enjoy to watch, without being tethered to my computer. Plus, I don't get any streaming problems, as all the podcasts are downloaded as they are released.

7. Tivo-To-Go

Another favorite feature of mine is the ability to transfer recorded shows and movies to my laptop for travel, a PSP or other small video device. The program also allows me to transfer my home movies and other downloads to my Tivo so I can watch them on the TV.

6. Swivel Search

This allows me to search out a program by genre, name, or keywords. I like this to search for new shows and ones that I see commercials for and can't remember the name. I can also search by channel and time as well.

5. Tivo Recommendations

Tivo will take your thumbs up and thumbs down ratings into consideration and recommend shows for you to watch. You can turn on this feature and have Tivo download the shows for you or you can just access the list and download the ones that look interesting to you.

4. KidZone

With kids in the house, this is an important feature for me. This allows the kids to flip channels, but only to channels that are actively broadcasting shows that are below a user-specified level. For me, I have it set for Y7, so that any channel with a show rating of Y7 and below will be available for my children to watch. As for the Now Playing list, only shows Y7 and below (or others that I actively set for them to watch) will be available for them.

3. Online Scheduling

Oops, I forgot to set a recording for something that is coming on this evening and I'm at work. No problem, I can just log in to my account at Tivo.com and schedule a recording over the internet! I can setup a Season Pass as well. This is a great feature for those shows you hear about at work or a friends house and you don't want to forget to record them to check them out.

2. Home Media

The home media options are one of my favorites of the Tivo features. I can play my MP3's from my computer, view a slideshow of photos from my computer as well. My favorite part of this is the multi-room viewing. I am able to transfer shows from my Tivo in the living room to my Tivo in the bedroom and back again. This makes it great for times when I just want to lounge in bed and watch my favorite show, even though it was recorded on the Tivo in another room.

1. Season Pass

The Season Pass feature on the Tivo is one that I constantly rave about. It will allow me to record all instances of a show without recording the repeats throughout the week. If a show traditionally begins a few minutes early or ends a few minutes late every week (some stations do this to catch extra viewers), I can set up my Season Pass for that particular show to begin a few minutes early or extend a few minutes, so I do not miss important parts of my show.

All in all, I believe the Tivo service to be a great one and if you intend on fronting the money to rent a cable DVR, I suggest that you at least look into investing in a Tivo box. They run specials all the time where you can get the box for free for a 1 year service commitment. If you have HD and want a HD DVR, Tivo has that as well in their Series 3 DVR.

Let me know what you think and your preferences on a DVR.