This entry really does involve tech at the "cutting edge," unlike my last entry. I loaded an application called DVArchive on my iBook. It finds my ReplayTV unit (it's a DVR like Tivo, for the uninitiated) which is connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable and then downloads shows of my choosing to the laptop so I can take them with me to watch at my convenience. So here I am on Long Island, watching a program on my iBook that I recorded from HBO earlier in the week. Pretty cool.
A few details for those interested in the set-up: (1) DVArchive is platform-neutral, so it's equally appropriate for PCs, Macs, Linux, etc. (2) In order to watch the shows on my computer, I had to download a QuickTime plug-in from Apple (it costs about $20) which enabled playback in MPEG-2 format.
