Mr. Cohen, 30, has a TiVo that mysteriously assumed he wanted Korean news programs. The Philadelphia lawyer gave thumbs down to anything Korean, and his TiVo got the message. Sort of. "The next day, it recorded the Chinese news," he says.
You just picture the TiVo theorizing. "Not Korean, you say? Ah. I must have been mistaken. Chinese, then."
I know what did it (I created a Wish List for "60 Minutes" instead of a Season Pass back in the day so it would pick up 60 Minutes II in addition to the one on Sunday), but it still amuses me.
A couple roommates (including the current one) have had digital cable receivers that record without having the full functionality of TiVo, so I'm not familiar from firsthand observation -- is TiVo generally more accurate than Amazon recommendations? I know that whenever I buy something slightly off-beat from what I normally buy, Amazon is recommending the person's complete works for the next month, every time I visit the site. Sometimes this happens just based on browsing.
Does it take into account whether you actually watch something? Does it compare to a central database of all TiVo users' preferences? Should I just read a Wikipedia article?
For a very long time our TiVo was convinced we had eighteen million kids and would record anything and everything played on WAM! because we had a season pass for Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
We did consider, briefly, that TiVo might be taking payola to make sure a few "special" shows/channels got recommended more than others, but otherwise, those were the only link we could find. Oh, and FLCL, which of course is another fine example of the best of Children's Workshop.
To be honest I'm only commenting here to keep my hands busy while my brain tries to wrap itself around TLL's comments one post down.
My roommate and I got TiVo when we moved in together last year, not knowing about all these crazy features. Not long after we'd set up our season passes, I noticed things like "7th Heaven" appearing on the recorded list. For months I never brought it up, but looked at him differently thinking, I had no idea. Later I found out he was doing the exact same thing, worried he had moved in with some big Christian freak, when it turns out he had made a season pass for Smallville and so TiVo assumed we loved wholesome WB dramas.
When it started recording Fox News willy-nilly, we shut that wish-list fucker down.
Don't know if Heather has commented on Unfogged before (I think the above is the first comment of hers I've seen, and by the way it's a great comment). Either way, everyone in the Mineshaft should click through and check out the tagline on her blog. It's most awesome.
11. Aaaand cue my sitemeter going nuts. Glad you enjoy it. I think the only time anyone's ever paid attention to my blog was when I did a layout overhaul last year and didn't include the tagline. I was shocked at how many emails I got demanding that I put it back up; from all corners of the globe they descended.
Maybe not all corners, but that one reader sure was angry.
You think your TiVo reads the blog?
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 5:00 PM
My Tivo thinks I'm gay.
Posted by joe o | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 5:10 PM
I love that article. This is the best bit:
Mr. Cohen, 30, has a TiVo that mysteriously assumed he wanted Korean news programs. The Philadelphia lawyer gave thumbs down to anything Korean, and his TiVo got the message. Sort of. "The next day, it recorded the Chinese news," he says.
You just picture the TiVo theorizing. "Not Korean, you say? Ah. I must have been mistaken. Chinese, then."
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 5:12 PM
I know what did it (I created a Wish List for "60 Minutes" instead of a Season Pass back in the day so it would pick up 60 Minutes II in addition to the one on Sunday), but it still amuses me.
Posted by Becks | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 5:17 PM
A couple roommates (including the current one) have had digital cable receivers that record without having the full functionality of TiVo, so I'm not familiar from firsthand observation -- is TiVo generally more accurate than Amazon recommendations? I know that whenever I buy something slightly off-beat from what I normally buy, Amazon is recommending the person's complete works for the next month, every time I visit the site. Sometimes this happens just based on browsing.
Does it take into account whether you actually watch something? Does it compare to a central database of all TiVo users' preferences? Should I just read a Wikipedia article?
Posted by Adam Kotsko | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 5:28 PM
Okay, thirty seconds of research, and I've answered all my own questions.
Posted by Adam Kotsko | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 5:32 PM
For a very long time our TiVo was convinced we had eighteen million kids and would record anything and everything played on WAM! because we had a season pass for Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Posted by Robust McManlyPants | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 5:41 PM
Fine children's programming both.
Posted by Matt F | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 5:47 PM
We did consider, briefly, that TiVo might be taking payola to make sure a few "special" shows/channels got recommended more than others, but otherwise, those were the only link we could find. Oh, and FLCL, which of course is another fine example of the best of Children's Workshop.
To be honest I'm only commenting here to keep my hands busy while my brain tries to wrap itself around TLL's comments one post down.
Posted by Robust McManlyPants | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 6:19 PM
My roommate and I got TiVo when we moved in together last year, not knowing about all these crazy features. Not long after we'd set up our season passes, I noticed things like "7th Heaven" appearing on the recorded list. For months I never brought it up, but looked at him differently thinking, I had no idea. Later I found out he was doing the exact same thing, worried he had moved in with some big Christian freak, when it turns out he had made a season pass for Smallville and so TiVo assumed we loved wholesome WB dramas.
When it started recording Fox News willy-nilly, we shut that wish-list fucker down.
Posted by Heather | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 7:15 PM
Don't know if Heather has commented on Unfogged before (I think the above is the first comment of hers I've seen, and by the way it's a great comment). Either way, everyone in the Mineshaft should click through and check out the tagline on her blog. It's most awesome.
Posted by M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 8:13 PM
Heather's commented before.
Posted by standpipe b | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 8:31 PM
Yeah, I saw that tag line a couple days ago. Pretty great.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 8:37 PM
So is there any reason to read the Iran thread?
Posted by teofilo | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 8:47 PM
14: What, you got better things to do with your time?
Posted by M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 9:05 PM
No, I don't, but we just had 800 comments on feminism. I don't know how much more animosity I can take.
Posted by teofilo | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 9:09 PM
I'm testy and Kotsko is zen, so there's some role-reversal.
Posted by Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 9:14 PM
That's about it, though.
Posted by Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 9:15 PM
Any good cock jokes?
Posted by teofilo | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 9:16 PM
Do Mongol jokes count?
Posted by Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 9:18 PM
That's it, I'm reading it.
Posted by teofilo | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 9:23 PM
No Tamburlaine. Or Tamerlane. Or Timur.
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 9:28 PM
That wasn't so bad.
Posted by teofilo | Link to this comment | 08-30-06 10:00 PM
I don't think the J.B.'s ass thread really contained much animosity.
Posted by M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 08-31-06 1:11 AM
11. Aaaand cue my sitemeter going nuts. Glad you enjoy it. I think the only time anyone's ever paid attention to my blog was when I did a layout overhaul last year and didn't include the tagline. I was shocked at how many emails I got demanding that I put it back up; from all corners of the globe they descended.
Maybe not all corners, but that one reader sure was angry.
Posted by Heather | Link to this comment | 08-31-06 11:53 AM
Also, I enjoyed the Iran thread, but only for the femur couplets in the middle.
Posted by Heather | Link to this comment | 08-31-06 11:55 AM