From: Alan D. <al...@co...> - 2005-02-03 22:02:56
|
Peter Hutnick said: > > There's probably no rational reason. I'll give you a list of my > rationalizations, though. > > 1. I tried the "dude with a soldering iron" route. Failed. This is > surely due to my own ineptitude. I am equally sure that the > euro-dudes and euro-chicks selling these things don't share that > ineptitude. BUT if I'm going to spend cash on the thing I want a > shiny box and a retailer I can look in the eye (glazed over though it > may be). OK. I have the same attitude for some purchases. Less and less though. > 2. I want something nice. Maybe not hand polished mahogany nice, but at > least molded plastic nice. Screw-together do-it-yourself DB9s > aren't what I want given that I'm spending money (this thing's almost > $30). In other words I'm cool with homebrew that looks like crap. I'm > not cool with buying stuff that looks like homebrew. I don't think the zapway looks homebrew, personally. Judge for yourself: http://www.zapway.de/e_index1.htm > 3. I'm always trying to sell my Dad on Linux. A PVR might be a good way > to get a penguin into his house. I have to be able to "sell" it to him > as "real." If a key component comes from > www.solderingeurodude.it he won't go for it. Consider this a dry run. The long wires on the sensor with the zapway allow you to mount it some distance from the computer. In my case the computer is almost invisible on the top of the entertainment center but the sensor is mounted right down by the TV, where everyone is use to pointing the remote anyway. Works nice and everyone just feels like they are controlling the TV the way they always did. > None of this should be taken to disparage Europeans, dudes, soldering > irons, or geeks trying to make a buck. I'm all for all of those > things in general, just not for this purchase. Good luck in your search. Alan |