My plan for revenge against the cable company – part 1

Intro

My cable bill is $125 a month.  Ridiculous.  That includes road runner and hd cable.  It also includes that lovely $8/month fee for the dvr.  Over the lifetime of that dvr I’m pretty sure I have paid for it about 5 times.  My plan is to set myself up with an alternative to cable, perfect it, and get as many other people as I can to do the same thing.  My first goal is to keep Time Warner Cable from making $1250 a year from me.  After that, I will start preaching and hopefully converting other people as well.

My plan:

1. Get an over-the-air digital antenna, to receive local channels (including all the major networks, and HDTV) for free.
2. Build my own DVR,  possibly with Windows Media Center.
3. Watch “cable channels” such as Comedy Central and Food Network over the Internet.
4. Cancel my cable, except the road runner part so that I can still do #3.
5. Research other options for Internet.

Part 1

Most people (including me until not long ago) don’t realize that tv stations all over the place are broadcasting over-the-air (OTA) HD signals, and that the quality of those signals can be better than what you can get over cable or satellite (because these OTA signals don’t use all the lossy compression that cable and satellite signals do).  Buying a UHF digital antenna will allow you to pickup these signals, for free.

So, I bought a UHF digital antenna.  Specifically I got the Philips PHDTV1 Silver Sensor indoor antenna from Amazon.com, I connected it to my tv and it works great!  Now of course I’m not receiving MTV and Comedy Central with this – instead I just get whatever signals are broadcast in my geographic location.  In my case those are FOX/HD, CBS/HD, NBC/HD, ABC/HD, PBS/HD, CW/HD, WRDC/HD, and some spanish channels.  Sweet!

Part 1 accomplished.

Technorati Tags: Time Warner Cable, Cable Bill, Free TV, PVR, DVR

Come race for the cure with me

Race for the cure info.
Email me if you will be there.

TBD: ATT KMZ

update: I just realized the link for the .kmz file was off, it is fixed now. update#2 - if you have anything to add, feel free to send it my way.

No, I don't just like to use acronyms whenever I get the chance. :) I started a Google Earth map (.kmz file) of the ATT (American Tobacco Trail). Download the KMZ here. I'll update it when I can with more points of interest and pictures.

• The red path is the trail itself, it is highlighted from the southern-most trail head in Apex up to the interruption point just south of I-40. Then it is highlighted again just north of I-40 in Durham up to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
  
• The green push-pins are trailheads, or entrances to the trail where there is available parking.
  
• The yellow push-pins are general points of interest, some of which have photos linked.
  
• I will attach photos soon.
  

I find it pretty useful because I can plan a run or bike ride, and use the ruler feature of Google Earth to check out the distance of my route. For example, next time I am going to start at O'Kelly Church Rd and run north to Northeast Creek trestle, turn around and run south to Panther Creek trestle, and then back to O'Kelly Church Rd again. This will be a 4.6 mile run with a rewarding view at each turnaround point.

Tobacco Trail: Trail or Paved Path?

I recently came across this nicomachus.net blog, which has a category of posts about the ATT, and saw this old post which almost made me throw up in my mouth: "The Outspokin' Cyclist: To pave or gravel part of biking trail under debate".

Check out these quotes from the posting, which quotes from a Phillip Barron
article in The Herald Sun from the Fall of 05.

• Chris Sevick to The Herald Sun: "Given the long distances that the trail connects, it would be more efficient to use a road bike on a paved trail..."
  
  Me: Well duh! But then the ATT would not be a trail, but a paved path. I sure hope the awesome natural beauty of the southern parts of the ATT don't get spoiled by paving, as the northern Durham section is.
  
  
• Bob Morris, vice president of the mountain bike club NC Fats, says that if the existing Wake County section of the ATT is an example of how the rest of the trail might be finished, he wouldn't want to ride it either. The loose, softer trail surface attracts equestrians, but the impact of the horses' hooves contributes to the fairly steady erosion of the trail. The ATT is pocked with rough sections that, even on a "cushy" full-suspension mountain bike, leave the trail difficult to ride, Morris says.
  
  Me: Wait just a second...did you say VP of the mountain bike club or the bike sissy club? What mountain bike owner is worried about the cushiness of his ride? I have been on nearly every mile of the trail personally, and I've seen plenty of hoof prints, but certainly nothing that I would even notice on a mountain bike or even on my runs.
  
  
• "So, if like Sevick, you've ever wished that you could continue riding your bike the entire length of the planned 23 miles of greenway"...
  
  Me: Then I would suggest you get a bike with a tire that is more than 1 inch in width. I sympathize with those cyclists who would use the trail as a commuter path (its a great alternative to riding on the road), but its not worth sacrificing the beauty of the current southern trails. Go out and buy a beefier bike, especially if you are a member of a mountain biking club.
  

Running the American Tobacco Trail in South Durham County

Yesterday during lunch I took a 50 minute run down a part of the American Tobacco Trail that I hadn't been to yet: the 3 mile southern Durham stretch which goes from Massey Rd (just south of I-40) down past Scott King Rd (the picture below, from Wikipedia, is about halfway through this stretch). I remember that little fence because it struck me as odd to have this fence out in the middle of this "natural" part of the trail. Overall there is a lot of great scenery in this area, and it made for quite a relaxing run.

This part of the trail itself is great, in fact parts of it are amoung my favorite parts of the trail (that I have seen so far). One complaint is that several parts of this stretch of trail have large (ie, bigger than golf ball sized) gravel. That seems potentially dangerous to me as a runner, should I land on one the wrong way. I understand this part of the trail is under a re-construction plan right now so hopefully they will be using a fine gravel next time like they have in the Wake County parts of the trail. Surely they will also add mile markers.

There is a parking area close to Fayetteville Rd, but it is roped off right now for some reason. I found plenty of roadside parking on both Massey Rd and Scott King Rd.

My next short term running goals for this spring:

1. Run this southern Durham part of trail down to Chatham County line (I didn't realize how close I was yesterday time when I turned around after 25 min).

2. Run 7 miles for the first time. I will probably combine these goals into one: 3 miles down, 3 miles back, and then a little half mile up and back loop. Since there are no mile markers here I will have to do the last mile by time.

A longer term goal for the year 2007: A 12 mile run (half-marathon).

Cinelli's in Apex

Got a pizza to go tonight at Cinelli's Restaurante in Apex. I predict that this place closes its doors pretty quickly unless they turn things around. I noticed in the forums at apexnc.com that it got a couple negative reviews, and I wasn't too impressed myself. The pizza was good, but that's where the compliments end. I don't plan to go back.

• Pizza was way overpriced. I paid $26 for a large pizza with 3 toppings and 2 domestic beers while I waited.
• The spiciest topping they had was cherry peppers, which were not spicy at all.
• As usual, I sat at the bar. Unfortunately I couldn't have been more uncomfortable since the barstools didn't fit the bar.
• Recessed lighting must have had high wattage spotlights, and I felt like I was on stage at the Ryman.

Reindeer Romp 5k in Charlotte

This Dec 9th I'll be running in the Reindeer Romp 5k in downtown Charlotte. This is the same day as the The Thunder Road Marathon, but I haven't quite made it up to the 26 mile level yet, although that is my long term goal. The Reindeer Romp benefits the American Lung Association, and I'll be running it with my 9 year old neice (her first race)! Her mom doesn't think she can run the whole 5k without some walk-time, so I might not be setting any PRs but it will be fun!

If you want to run but you don't want to travel to Charlotte, here are some upcoming local races, including one in Apex:

November 5 (Sunday) Raleigh
1st Annual George Williams Nike 5K - 2:00 p.m. - 5,000m

November 12 (Sunday) Raleigh
Old Reliable Run - 10,000 meters, 5,000 meters

November 18 (Saturday) Apex
Turkey Trot 5K – 5,000 Meters – 10:00 a.m.

Peak City Grill

After the tourney today I was exhausted and starving. I decided to reward myself with a nice dinner since all I'd had to eat that day was beef jerky and Nutri-grain bars! :P

I went to Peak City Grill in downtown Apex, NC on Salem Street. I'd been there a few times before but only for drinks and bar food. This time I ordered an actual dinner, and I chose the risotto with mussels, shrimp, scallops, and tomato. FAB U LOUS. It was a nice generous portion and the taste was phenomenal. Next time I go back there I'll be tempted to get the same thing just because I know it is so goooooooood.

Update: I went there again last night (the 19th) and got the fish and chips (at the bar). I'd had it before two other times, but unfortunately it looks like they have changed the dish. The breading was different (lighter but less tasty) and the serving size a little smaller. Still good though, but I preferred what I had the last two times better. Next time I probably won't go for the fish and chips.

Watching Sports in Apex

Apex really lacks a good place to watch a game outside of the home. I know of one decent place in Apex to watch a game, and thats Spark's on 55 at Olive Chapel. The biggest problem with Spark's is that their food pretty much sucks (but the service isnt' bad and they do have some pretty cute girls working there).

The next closest place I know of that is good for watching a game is the MacGregor Drafthouse in Cary. Of course there are plenty of other places with tv's - but Spark's and the Drafthouse have large widescreen HDTVs.

Peak City Grill on Salem Street in downtown Apex has decent tv's, but they are a little small. Not bad for watching a game, though.

I noticed that the New Red Robin in Beaver Creek Crossings has all CRT style regular tv's. Thats shocking, that a new bar/restaurant opens and they don't have new HDTVs in there. Wow. Pitiful.

The new Longhorn Steakhouse in Apex, NC

Tonight I made it out to the new Longhorn Streakhouse restaurant at Beaver Creek Commons in Apex, NC. There was a decent crowd, the place had a nice atmosphere, the bar was nice and had a couple of mid-size HDTVs. The Carolina Hurricanes game was on so I sat at the bar.

The only had 4 or 5 beers on tap and they were a bit boring: bud, bud light, miller light, blue moon, and sam adams.

I ordered the T-bone and a Caesar salad. I got the SMALL T-bone but it was no slouch in size. The salad was great, and the steak would have been great if it hadn't been seriously OVER seasoned. I enjoy a little bit of seasoning but I still like to taste the flavor of the beef itself (which is why I always go with a medium rare - red in the middle - temperature). Unfortunately that beef flavor was lost in too many spices.