Hooray for Technology!

I've decided that my family has the best cable provider. The rates are consistently low, and they'll never go up; we always know exactly how many channels we'll receive; we didn't have to buy a package deal; and we can switch our service any time we want.

Of course, that's because we don't have cable.

So with the impending switch to all-digital signals (February 2009) and due to my brother's constant nagging, I ordered two coupons for the converter boxes that will allow our analog TVs to receive digital signal. Yes, we need converter boxes. And Johnny figured out how to set it up in tandem with our VCR.

Yes, we still have a VCR. We use it to record programs because DVRs are fracking expensive. And to watch our extensive collection of VHS movies (because replacing our VHS movies with DVDs would also be fracking expensive, especially when we can find VHS tapes 4 for a dollar!).

Yes, there are people in the world who still buy movies on tape. Gasp.

In other news, the iPod classic is amazing! I saved up all year to upgrade my mp3 player to something with more than one gig (it was a gift, and I do love my iPod nano, but still...) so I decided to go all-out and get the 80-gig Classic. I've quickly become addicted to the iPod games, especially Tetris (despite its evil controls) and Phase.

What's Phase, you ask? Quite possibly the most awesome hand-held game ever. I will be the first to admit that I'm not a "gamer." I've picked up character names from Nintendo games just from being around my brother, but I've never really played any of them. Then this year, I discovered Guitar Hero. Oh my gosh. That game is amazing. And addictive. And at $90, plus the cost of whichever game system I'd want to use it with, completely out of my budget. Then along comes Phase, which is essentially "iPod Hero." It combines my two favorite techno-gadgets, and I play it incessantly.

My nano usually has to be charged once a week, because I only listen to it on the bus (the rest of the time I just play iTunes on my computer). But now with Tetris and Phase, I've got to charge my new iPod nearly every day. And I play Phase while it's charging.

One more plus: all of the iPod games are $5 each. If you've got an iPod anyway, why not have video games on there with your music and movies (and podcasts)?

Speaking of podcasts, the newest Video Revue will be up this week! Johnny and I discuss game shows, and whatever else pops into my head, on "Survey Says: Video Revue!"

Also look for our blog review of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (or, as I like to call it, "Indiana Jones and the Close Encounter").