6/9     I have a pair of Levi's jeans newly purchased (gift) and they are
        so damn thin I am afraid they might rip just going into the drier.
        WTF has happened to Jeans in the last few decades and which brand
        has the highest thickness to cost ratio?
        \_ I've been wearing Kirkland jeans from Costco for a few years.
           Quality-wise, including thickness to cost ratio, has been very
           good.  Style-wise, I can't tell.
           \_ http://www.ehow.com/list_7222998_jeans-older-men.html
              \_ Sadly, I actually find this appropriate for me.  -- PP
        \_ I spend $100 on Banana Republic jeans and they are reasonably sturdy.
           Even those have gotten thinner over the years.
        \_ I spend $100 on Banana Republic jeans and they are reasonably
           sturdy. Even those have gotten thinner over the years.
        \_ I like Diesels. Great quality denim (good feel+endurance)
           but you'll have to spend $$ on em. Totally worth it though
           as they look great. Get the made in Italy ones. I've worn some
           for about 2-3 years straight so amortized cost is low.
           \_ If you majored in computer science at Berkeley, and have to
              worry about the amortized cost of your pants, then somewhere
              along the line something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.
        \_ Arizona Jeans through JC Penney's Big and Tall: durable,
           comfortable, and, let's face it, you probably need the room.

6/9     I'm interested in Tivo, is it required to buy subscription?
        Also it is possible to record and export the AVI/MPG file?
        \_ No subscription is required. Not sure about exporting the
           file, though they do let you add a hard drive, so there
           has got to be a way to move files around that way. Let
           me know what you discover.
           \_ Thank you! I just got a spanking new Tivo Premiere XL.
              1) "Preparing the update... this may take a few minutes."
              2) For $200, I'd expect WIFI. Nope, you gotta buy a $60
                 Tivo WIFI adapter. Ok. Bought a very very long ethernet.
              3) Then it says it needs to upgrade software. Another
                 10 minutes passed with the "set up" screen
              4) Afterwards it says I need to use an MCard that I should
                 have ordered from my cable company earlier, otherwise I
                 don't receive any digital channel. I selected "do it later"
              5) After another 10 minutes setting up.
              6) Now it says Preparing the update... this may take an hour.
              7) Now, I can't do anything until I activate it. It's
                 forcing me to activate. No option is available unless
                 I activate it. I need to select payment plan. Options like
                 search, browse, etc are all disabled until activation.
                 W.T.F. Very pissed.
              8) Oh hey, after 20 minutes, the screen now goes to a menu
                 where I have partial functionality (record, guide, play)
                 but I still need to pay for smart recording and search
                 and more advanced features. What a tease.
              9) Oh wait, I can't even delete anything I record as it forces
                 me to subscribe (subscribe modal menu, can't continue)
              10) Alright, called my cable company (Time Warner), and the
                 CableCard (Mcard) will cost extra $10/month. Fine.
              11) According to the web, Some Tivo 1's allow you to use it
                  like a VCR and some Tivo 1's require subscription. All
                  Tivo 2's and beyond require subscription. I have Tivo "4"
                  which is the Premiere. Alright. So I need to pay $10/month
                  from cable company for the Mcard and another $15/month
                  from Tivo to use even the most basic features.
              13) Called my cable company to cancel Mcard. Subscribed to
                  Time Warner's DVR for $11/month. My cable company offers
                  plug-and-play solution. Tivo offers-- what the fuck? POS.
                  I wasted fucking (#*$##$#$ hours. Fuck you Tivo.
                  FUCK YOU TIVO. FUCK YOU.
                  \_ Cable companies like to deceive to make TiVo's difficult.
                     should be $3 for the 1st cable card.
                     http://www.fcc.gov/guides/cablecard-know-your-rights
                     Cablecards are also unnecessary if you're happy with
                     your analog channel selection, or unencrypted digital
                     channel selection.
                  \_ Build a MythTV and pay no monthly fees.
              \_ a) TiVo interface and software are superior to cable DVRs.
                    Premiere lets you hook it up to Hulu Plus, Netflix, etc.
                 b) Data feeds like TV listings and program info are not free.
                    You expected all the above functionality forever for $200?
                 c) Why didn't you do the research before you bought, retard?
                    All the requirements above are stated in their ads and website.
                    All the requirements above are stated in their ads and
                    website.
                 \_ Hey, chill. Old TiVos were primitive, but at least the
                    were easy to get going. The new ones are a complex
                    machinery that do much more but cause more mayhem as the
                    op pointed out (a bunch of long reboots and updates).
                    Tivo is nice to have but if Steve Jobs were still alive today
                    he would laugh at it. I don't have a lot of loyalty to
                    either Apple or Tivo but I do appreciate having a product
                    that "just works." Let me guess, you're a Tivo fanboi and
                    you're offended?
                    \_ Or he has lots of TIVO shares.
                    Tivo is nice to have but if Steve Jobs were still alive
                    today he would laugh at it. I don't have a lot of loyalty
                    to either Apple or Tivo but I do appreciate having a
                    product that "just works." Let me guess, you're a Tivo
                    fanboi and you're offended?
                    \_ Or he has lots of TIVO shares under water.
                       \_ None of the above. And I'm not exactly the one who threw
                          a fit, am I? -pp
                    \_ So wait, do you need a subscription to record shows or don't
                       you? You are saying both things here. You think the TV Guide
                       part should be free???
                       \_ None of the above. And I'm not exactly the one who
                          threw a fit, am I? -pp
                    \_ So wait, do you need a subscription to record shows or
                       don't you? You are saying both things here. You think
                       the TV Guide part should be free???
        \_ This tells that it is not exactly Apple:
           http://www.google.com/finance?q=tivo
        \_ http://www.ehow.com/how_7326726_use-tivo-subscription.html
           "TiVos purchased directly through TiVo must have a service plan
            purchased. Retailers, however, will sell TiVo units without
            service plans attached."
        \_ http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18
           See also though:
           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TiVo#Hacking
           Your problem is that you have no fu.