Yeah--if you don't have it connected, then the whole "guide" thing won't be updated.

hee!! thanks for all the responses. much appreciated.

A hundred foot phone cord could solve all your problems.

All this talk about Tivos is tempting me to break my vow not to buy any more toys until my debts are paid off. Granted, I could stop reading the talk, but... nah.

So, Comcast offers a DVD recorder. Is that basically the same thing? Anyone know anything about it?

not really. my room is a converted garage. so the closest phone jack is up three steps to the kitchen. there's not really a way for me to run it without it getting in the way.

I have the same issue as tiggy. My den is a former carport and the wall between it and the rest of the house is brick.

So, Comcast offers a DVD recorder. Is that basically the same thing? Anyone know anything about it?

I have the Comcast thing. I decided to try it to see whether it would be worth the money and effort it would take to either get a phone line in the den or set up a network. It updates itself over the cable, so that's not an issue. It's a lot more limited than Tivo. The memory isn't much--in practice, it seems to be about 12 hours. It also can only be set to record specific programs, not things like every movie with a specific actor. I am, however, already addicted to starting a show, wandering away for 15 minutes, then fast-forwarding through all the commercials.

the wall between it and the rest of the house is brick.

Electric drills and masonry drillbits are your friends.

Electric drills and masonry drillbits are your friends.

As is wireless networking and broadband internet access.

I'm just sure that the moment I make a hole in the wall I'll jam something conductive into something electric, and then fall into a randomly placed bathtub and still burn to death.

I tend to try to schedule my "moving major things around" and "carrying major things up stairs" and "climbing onto high things" tasks for when my roommate is around. In theory, she would notice me lying under something heavy, et cetera, sooner that way.

Since I do know somebody who laid on the floor for three days with a broken hip -- and she was not considered elderly at the time -- maybe I'm not being entirely paranoid about this.

Any suggestions for an inexpensive, reliable computer with good support for my techno-challenged sister? I have heard mixed reports about Dell, but Dell's running a great deal right now.