DaPreview.net takes a certain executive highlighted at MacWorld to task for his disparaging comments regarding the Rio Forge vs. the Shuffle.  I haven't used both so I will reserve judgement, except maybe for the exorbitantly priced add-ons like the $29.00 arm-band for the Shuffle.

Slashdot reports on a professor at Cardiff University who has identified January 24th being the worst day of the year. What if we all take it as a vacation day and throw the curve?  Or maybe I'll just listen to Fuel's "Bad Day" over and over and seal the deal - it is a Monday after all... or maybe I'll just listen to my son laugh and forget it all :)

Ethan, one of the most passionate Program Manager's I know about Media Center, has just released his own enhanced Caller-ID plug-in for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Called "MCE-YAC". With it, MCE serves as a client for YAC- "Yet Another Caller-ID" server for Windows which will distribute Caller-ID info from any capable modem on your home network to any PC.  Unique features include:

Update: Here's another enhanced Caller-ID plug-in that builds on the integrated caller-id feature in MCE called TAPI-REX

I just updated the site yesterday to the released version of DasBlog 1.7 now available on SourceForge which has fixed the comments-posting issue so post away. Email has been piling up so I thought I'd get a few regular questions addressed:

Why did you start this blog?
I started this blog as a way to share my passion for digital media and entertainment with family and friends and maybe a few similar-minded enthusiasts. I also wanted to keep at least some small part of my developer tool roots and still be able to tinker with web development.

Who reads this thing? What kind of traffic do you get?
I'm not sure on the former rather than the emails I get, and I'm starting to get them from all over the world which has been enlightening.  I have a queue of responses I'm still working on. As for traffic, on average, I've had about 4000-5000 visitors per day, steadily increasing over the past 2 years. But something happened that's spiked my readership to over 80,000 unique visitors this month. I wrote a behind the scenes blog entry on the CES keynote and felt obliged to follow it up afterwards.  As for my involvement in the keynote, I was asked and subsequently volunteered to come in from vacation (and my new job) to present on-stage at the keynote after doing the Digital Entertainment Anywhere event, launching my prior product, MCE 2005.  I told MS PR I was going to blog and they didn't ask me to edit anything I said, just that I keep it factual. Within 12 hours, I was Slashdotted for the first time. What a wild ride this past three weeks has been :).

Why don't you have an "About Me" page up? I saw you at the DEA event and/or CES and it was nice to put a face with the name.
How about I like obscurity and a sense of mystery?  Actually I've never really been a big fan of those CV/Resume/About the Author pages but I guess I'll have to get around to it one of these days. At least Brian Bailey, Thomas Hawk, and Robert Scoble think we all should... :)

Ok, so you mentioned before CES you were changing jobs. What is your new job?
I'm the Group Product Manager for Windows "Longhorn" Consumer - the next-generation of Windows. The job is keeping me busy for sure. Sorry, like Robert, I'm not going to really talk about Longhorn until the time is right. I won't comment on any rumors either.  All I can say is based on what I've seen so far, I'm excited and honored to be a part of the team working on it.

Do work with Robert Scoble, the "Microsoft Geek Blogger"?
Not directly. Robert and I go back 7 years, prior to his joining Microsoft. I first met Robert when I was a brand new product manager at Microsoft and he was managing events. While we don't "hang out" socially, we definitely keep in touch and I consider him to be a generally like-minded, passionate person. We don't always agree, but that would be boring anyway.

No, really.  Tell us about Longhorn...
When the time is right. Right now, I just need to focus on the job.

Lastly, I'd just like to thank everyone who reads this blog for their continuing support and constructive criticism -  of products, service, and even me.  I've been humbled by the enthusiasm and support of the blogosphere. Consider me an official convert now to the power of more transparency and more valuable community interaction through blogging.

I'm adding Peter Near's MCE blog to my blogroll.  Why? He just keeps cranking out great insights on the MCE landscape. He's recently written a great comparison of the Media Center Extender for Xbox vs. HP's Media Center Extender Set-top. He also wrote up a note about WinBook's new sub-$1000 MCE for the living room which includes a dual-layer DVD burner, something I've been meaning to do. It's great to see so many Media Center bloggers popping up and boy it's getting hard to keep track of everything going on. Nice work Peter.

Matt points us to an ultra-cool use for Media Center - in-car.  Hossweb.com has just about done it all to his 2002 Ford Expedition including touchscreen support for Media Center through his navi system.  He has a comprehensive demo showing how he does it, including demonstrating little-known features such as 30 minute rewind on FM tuning in Media Center 2005. Wow, this demo video and the install is thorough... looks like he did it with Windows Movie Maker 2.1

Video Demo (WMV)

Update 2: Video is back up.  Hoss notes this is a work in progress but it's pretty darn far along if you ask me.

Doc Searls notes in his recent post, "Why we need an iPod competitor":

Hell, Microsoft's [Music Platform] looks open next to Apple's iTunes/iPod system. And remember too that Apple designed, and will continue to redesign, the iPod as a hardware extension of the iTunes software/retail system. If Apple were Amazon, they'd make that sucker wide open to user participation; but they're not, so they don't. It's a closed system.

Doc goes on to point out the lack of support for podcasting. Doc might want to check out the latest generation of the Creative Zen Micro  with the new MTP firmware released this December- it's a top contender and the next-generation is the winner of Best of CES 2005. Until recently, the Rio Carbon was my favorite device, and it still just feels good in my hand, but this week, I took the plunge with a new Creative Zen Micro.  Here's why I think it's a good podcasting device and a worthy competitor long-term in the end-to-end experience:

Packaging
No more beige cardboard inserts serrated for folding and rapid delivery of a nasty paper cut. No 18 gauge plastic security packaging that requires high-end german cutlery to remove from it's "Polycoffin" (Did I just coin the phrase?). Just as the device was well thought-out, so was the packaging.  When I first bought my Powerbook and iPod, the packaging spoke to quality while being eco-friendly. But here I'm speaking to the Zen Micro. Open the box and you'll see what I'm talking about. This was a pleasant surprise- they're well on their way to understanding how to connect with the consumer, embrace cognitive dissonance and reinforce to the consumer, "You made the right choice, you're getting quality".

Industrial Design
The Zen is white as it's base color but with a wide assortment of color too, making it a more personal experience for me. I'm still gazing at the "puddle ripple" design on the back that looks near-holographic but integrated into the smooth casing. It has a removable 12-hour battery, and 5GB of storage so I can take my my podcasts and my music and my files with me. It uses a touchpad with basically the same technology as another portable music player, only a vertical scrollbar which does take some getting used to. The display is easy to read and with the new OLED-based Zen Micro Photo coming later this year, it will get even cooler. I had an opportunity to play with a prototype at CES and I was really impressed by the design, even if I don't necessarily need to take my photos with me on my music player (they're on my Phone already). Album art on the other hand...

Podcasting and Music Playback
This is where the Zen Micro shines. It has an intelligent bookmarking feature which makes it easy to jump to where you left off in your podcast.  In fact, you can even customize the main menu to add bookmarks to the top level- a big plus.  It also includes smart volume management (normalization).  One of the big problems I have with podcasts is that I'm constantly adjusting volume between podcasts - many are still much too quiet (eg. Dawn and Drew just dealt after complaints). There are hot mics in the broadcasts as well where people raise their voice or get closer to the mic - not good if you're driving a napping 18-month old... Then you switch to music and blammo- your ears are ringing.  Adam Curry - please take note but I'll keep listening. The Zen Micro does a pretty good job of adjusting for this in the product itself.  It also syncs your Playlists down to the device so if you're like me and you use Doppler, WM Player 10 will sync your music, podcasts, and playlists.  (Yes, I'd still like to see sync of bookmarks back to the computer but it's not a deal-breaker when I can easily see the seek time on the device).

Extras
The Zen also does FM Radio (good for the Gym to tune into TV) and FM Radio Recording. For personal productivity, it has a built-in calendar and task feature (which I don't use since I have an Audiovox SMT-5600 Smartphone that syncs with Outlook over-the-air). I do wish it had scheduled FM Radio recording so I could catch my favorite FM radio program from the beginning. About all it's missing is the classic video game "Defender".

That brings me to accessories. The Zen includes the most common ones like a sport case, a protective pouch (call it a sock if you want), a Neck strap, a USB power adapter, and belt clip. That's all for ~$227.00 USD and I get 5GB of storage to boot.

I'm still waiting for the mainstream press to add up the cost of some of these new music players devices that include little/no accessories and comparing them to those that do. Word has it a certain chewing gum-sized device costs about $200 when you add in just the basic accessories.  I don't understand spending $29.00 USD for an arm band. The margins on some of these accessories are astronomical, yet no one seems to be called to task for it.

Software & Drivers
This experience can still be improved all-around. On both my Mac and my Windows PC, I had to download updated drivers and software to work with my iPod. The Zen - with the MTP firmware works right out of the box with Windows- no drivers required.  I've much lamented the software many players put in their boxes but in this case, it just works with WM Player 10 - no additional software needed. Okay, no Mac support as far as I can tell right now.

Music and Music Services
Among those that lament the PlaysforSure Music services for its Digital Rights Management (DRM), I wonder just how many have tried them to any length.  In order to compete, the PfS services strive to offer consumers the most flexibility in how you enjoy your music and it's not just one corporation (or corporation's figurehead) deciding which exclusive deals and back-catalogs to bring to you. You can burn audio CDs- just like ITMS, you can transfer to more devices, you can find the one that's easiest to use or has the exclusives you want. As an example of this choice, services like MSN Music were among the first to let you authorize up to 5 computers to share the music, which perhaps not so concidentally ITMS now offers as well.

Summary
In summary, today my favorite device for Podcasting and general music playback is the Creative Zen Micro for the reasons outlined above.  This is by no means an endorsement, rather a personal opinion. Creative may not have Steve Jobs' affable charm, but after winning Best of CES the last 3-years running, people are finally starting to take notice that this is more than a one-horse race.

Disclaimer for Mac fans: Choice is not binary in my home either. The first computer I ever used was an Apple II series. I first learned to program in LOGO on an Apple. I spent person-months playing Broderbund games on Apple's & Macs before I ever touched a PC.  I wrote English papers in college on Macs. I have a Powerbook G4 and a 2nd generation iPod with music loaded from ITMS. I run Mac OS X Panther as well as Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and until recently, was a subscriber to .Mac.

The New York Times' Circuits section yesterday published an article entitled, "TV Room's PC Wants to Be the Center of All Media" which discusses in some-depth the relationship between Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) and Microsoft.  While technically I was the one that announced it on stage (attributed to Bill Gates but can you blame them? <g>).  At CES, PC Manufacturers including Alienware, HP, Niveus Media, RicaVision International, and Stack9 Systems all announced intent to ship new Media Center PCs this year as  well as ATI and NVidia announcing new video cards and/or TV tuner cards that will be certified.

Why is this a big deal? Historically, ISF certification was only available on high-end home theater equipment like HDTVs from Runco, or A/V equipment in Pioneer Elite line of products. ISF is well-respected for their certification and training programs among high-end retailers and home theater installers. This announcement demonstrates how serious Microsoft is in working with the industry to make Windows XP Media Center Edition and these PC designs the best for home entertainment- hands down. Because Media Center PCs are being sold to consumers as both hubs for home entertainment and effectively consumer electronics devices in the living room, they need to meet or exceed the quality of other CE devices including DVD players and other DVRs.

What Gets Tested?
ISF's Research Lab (ISFRL) worked directly with the Microsoft eHome team to develop the criteria for testing, looking at both qualitative and quantiative measures. In ISFRL's own words,

"Testing of MCE performance evaluates input, output, processing, and storage subsystems that impact signal quality. Certification also checks manufacturer attention to attributes affecting the usage environment such as acoustic noise and front-panel display dimming."

Areas that are tested include:

• Input signal parameters - Composite, YC, YPbPr, and RF
• Video Capture/Compression/Decompression
• Storage System: I/O Stream Capacity
• Deinterlacer
• Scaler
• Video output parameters - Composite, Y/C, YPrPr
• VGA and DVI Output
• Digital Services and Flag Information
• ATSC (HDTV OTA) RF Tuner (If Present)
• Housing and Accessory
• Audio and more

As you can see, this is a pretty comprehensive look at the entire experience. 

Raising the Bar Even Further
As consumer electronics continue to improve in many aspects- ISF is also committed to raising the bar for ISF-certified Media Center PCs. What makes this so exciting is that it demonstrates for the first time, a holistic approach to bringing the PC out of the commoditized "bargain" market, and offering consumers looking for better quality a clear way to identify it.  While prices for ISF-certified systems will initially be higher (largely due to more expensive components), this will come down over time.

Behind the Scenes
Microsoft first unveiled the Media Center ISF certification program at the Media Center 2005 Reviewer's Workshop session back in the Summer of 2004. We took a risk, bringing in the Editor's in Chief and senior writers of some of the largest names in PC and home theater publishing to receive a 60 minute presentation by Joel Silver and Guy Kuo on what they were doing with Microsoft.  Tests were done that compared- in full view- the video video quality of MCE 2004 vs. MCE 2005, and then MCE 2005 vs. a popular retail DVR platform across a range of outputs.  There was a broad range of expertise in the room, from those who normally review PCs as a general category, to those who were certified AV calibration and testing experts. This was no sugar-coated love-fest presentation- Joel and Guy clearly pointed out the issues in Microsoft's approach in the past and it's hardware/software partners' attempts to-date, and went further to describe how through testing and certification, these were being addressed systematically through the development of ISFs logo program. I cringed a bit as the session ended, and a visible and verbal reaction would be heard.  I was floored to see some of the biggest names in tech journalism bee-line for Joel and Guy, wishing to discuss further and get their own writers trained.  It was clear- Media Center PCs were going to be popular, and the publishers were ready to get serious about testing quality at the OS level, and evaluating each PC manufacturer's entry into the market.

Resources for More Information
If you're interested in learning more about ISF and their testing methdology, visit www.imagingscience.com.  Whitepapers providing more detail on ISFRL's Media Center testing methods can also be found on this page. As new ISF-certified systems hit the market, I'll post about them here.

Some have been asking for me to post more on the new Online Spotlight Services going into Media Center. Microsoft keeps a page with a list here, however it currently only shows launch partners, though the team is working to update.

What is Online Spotlight?
Put simply, Online Spotlight (or called internally, "OnSpot") is a feature in Windows XP Media Center Edition which enables you to tap into a broad range of entertainment and information services that add new features to Media Center, all with a remote control. Imagine having the ability to watch 1,500 films and music videos on demand or download from over 1.5 million songs using just a remote control. Online Spotlight lets you browse through both free and fee-based services online.  I've taken a screenshot which you can see here on the right which shows the Online Spotlight Showcase.

As you can see there are multiple categories including Music & Radio, TV & Movies, News & Sports etc. Even downloadable applications (such as Sonic Primetime or ArcSoft QuickDVD) can be found here.

The beauty of Media Center is any service can build for Media Center using traditional Web tools such as DHTML, scripting, and Web services. CharlieO talks about this regularly in his blog as he tests most of the services.  In Media Center 2005, OnSpot also adds support for Media Center Extender devices, meaning the services you see here can be used on your Media Center PC, or on any TV with a set-top box with Extender technology, or any Xbox with the Media Center Extender Kit for Xbox.

Media Center Services at CES
So without further delay, here is a brief rundown on new services launched at CES, plus a sneak preview of Yahoo's upcoming service in Media Center:

Discovery Networks Interactive Guide
Status: Coming Soon (next 30 days)
Cost: Free

Discovery Networks, parent of the Discovery Channel, TLC, and a host of others has almost finished its next-generation MCE guide which enables you to quickly find large-production specials, regular series and more.  It's an innovative approach which makes it easier to find specials what's on than traditional Program Guides unless you're "surfing". You can view a lineup, preview episodes or watch extra bonus footage streamed in Windows Media. The guide also enables you to customize and auto-tune to the TV stations you get as your browsing the guide, and set Media Center to record shows automatically. We showed the Discovery Guide in the BillG CES Keynote and expect it will go live in the next 30 days.

Fox Sports Net Virtual Coach
Status: Coming Soon (next 30 days)
Cost: Free

Back when I used to be single, a popular diversion in the sports bars and pubs were interactive games you could play during sporting events.  You'd watch the game and with a little wireless box, you'd try to guess the plays beforehand and earn points playing against othersin the bar or online. Fox Sports Interactive Media is bringing the same concept to your Media Center PC.  You'll be able to play "Virtual Coach" as you watch sporting events such as American football live on TV, and compete against others- all for fun.  Personally, I'm really excited about this one as it brings a whole new level of competition to the couch. ;)

KMS Software World Trivia 1.0
Status: Released
Cost: Free Trial, $19.95 USD for full version

While we're on the topic of games and trivia, KMS Software's recently releaed World Trivia is the first in what I expect to be a growing category of family and/or remote-control friendly games for Media Center (hello, Trivial Pursuit?). KMS is hard at work on a number of personal productivity applications. The questions asked are decidedly international and should have a wide appeal with US/North American and UK/European question sets. The UI is slick and a large database of over 5000 questions is sure to keep you going over and over again.  My only wish was that it had a sarcastic host and wacky rounds like in the 90's popular, "You Don't Know Jack" games.

KMS Software Contacts v1.0 
Status: Released
Cost: Free Trial, $19.95 USD for full version

KMS Software is at it again, this time with a new Contacts application for Media Center.  If you have a Media Center setup like my own, the family room Media Center and kitchen phone near by.  Sure, you can use the old family contacts spreadsheet taped up inside the cabinet.  Or with Contacts 1.0 you can use the Media Center to quickly pull up phone numbers for the doctor, the plumber, or the garage door specialist. What's more, you can append pictures of folks into your contacts.  Importing is pretty easy overall, with support for import from Outlook. I only wish they had a Print option for making a nice contact sheet for when it's time to call the power company ;). Keep watching KMS for more.

titanTV Big Screen Program Guide
Status: Released
Cost: Free (signup required)

titanTV, best known to the HD-set as one of the first online EPGs to offer accurate notification of which programs are being broadcast in true HDTV.  The titanTV EPG provides for immediate notification of which programs are in HD, full listings of Over-The-Air primary and secondary digital channels, and extra customization features such as the ability to adjust how many channels and hours are displayed by default in the EPG view.

Another nice feature is the ability to set programs to record directly from their OnSpot service, again using the new SetToRecord feature in the Media Center 2005 SDK.

XM Satellite Radio Online
Status: Released
Cost: 3-day Trial, $3.99/mo for existing subcscribers, $7.99/mo for Internet-only

XM jumped into the online business back in October, launching their service in Windows Media Player 10's Digital Media Mall. XM has just launched a Media Center version with access to 75 XM channels- all 100% commerical free, including a station for popular decades, a bunch of pop, comedy and kids programming, and Opie and Anthony in the morning.  Bit rates are pretty good- 32kbps for low and 65kbps for high-quality. I like channel 27- "CineMagic," which plays soundtracks from movies. For some reason, satellite radio never really appealed to me until I started playing with the free trial for XM Online. Now I'm reconsidering.

Yahoo! TV
Status: Coming Soon (Q1 2005)
Price: Unknown

Remember back when Yahoo! bought Broadcast.com?  Many thought it was a risky move. Well, it looks like they're about to bridge the gap between your TV and your PC in a big way with their new broadband service for Media Center. The new service will tap into their content library providing exclusive content, previews, interviews, and more. While I don't have a ton of details at this time, they were demonstrating their new service in the Microsoft booth at CES and received kudos for their ease of use and broad range of content which they're planning to bring to Media Center users.  I would suspect that they will require some sort of login/signup but no news on fees, if any.

Let's see, that makes digital media powerhouses ABC, AOL, Discovery, ESPN, Reuters, MSN, NPR, XM Radio, and Yahoo all building for Media Center for online entertainment in the past 12 months, and those are just the ones I can discuss right now.  I'll be sure to point out additional services as they become available and/or public.

While on-stage last week, I had the opportunity to unveil the new LG LRM-519 DVD Recorder with DVR (Digital Video Recording) software by Microsoft. C|Net named the product a finalist in their "Next Big Thing" contest noting,

"Before you dismiss this as another TiVo clone, look closely at the specs. The LRM-519 includes fast wireless networking, a double-layer DVD burner, and the promise of USB connectivity to a variety of peripherals." - John P. Falcone, Sr. Assoc. Editor, C|Net

Detailed Stats

• Network media DVR/DVD recorder, burns all major DVD formats (DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD+R double-layer)
• Progressive Scan DVD Playback
• Built-in Ethernet, 802.11a/g network connections
• Compatible with MPEG, Windows Media Audio and Video (WMA/WMV), MP3 audio, and JPEG images
• Supports PlaysforSure Services (Napster, MSN Music, CinemaNow, MovieLink etc.)
• Supports Windows Media Connect for browsing and enjoying Music, Photos, and Videos over home networks from Windows XP PCs.
• Supports Sync of recorded TV programs back to the PC for transfer to mobile devices.
• Microsoft Electronic Programming Guide
• 160GB hard drive, expandable via USB 2.0 external HDDs- keep slapping them on :)
• Single-tuner, supports all services via S-Video etc. (same as retail TiVo)
• USB connectivity to portable hard disks, media players, and card readers
• Available at retail, Fall 2005 

What makes this device really cool beyond the ability to keep expanding your storage via USB 2.0 external drives (a truly unique feature) is the simplicity and familiarity of the UI design that remains in the same family as Media Center 2005 and Portable Media Center. It's easy to play  slideshows, music, home videos, and movies downloaded from services as well as its core competency- burn DVDs.  Last year, analysts noted that a major barrier to DVD recorders becoming popular was their lack of a simple and functional UI - the LG solves this. Combined with the ability to sync your TV programs onto a Windows XP PC for  pass-thru to mobile players such as the Portable Media Center, your laptop, Pocket PC, or even your Smartphone.  Pretty darn cool if you ask me.

You won't get the level of flexibility and expandability of MCE, or the broad array of services available in Online Spotlight, but as a DVD Recorder first, and networked entertainment device second,this will be a good solution for the living room, bedroom, or den for those looking to do more with your digital entertainment.

A short demo video showing the UI can be seen on C|Net's site here.
Photo courtesy: C|Net

A few "liner notes" on Media Center Extenders:

- An issue has been found with Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta 1) which can cause your extender to stop working.  Both teams are aware of the issue and working on a fix.

- Some have asked if a similar update is planned for the Media Center Extender Kit for Xbox as the one delivered last month for the set-top box version. As you might recall, this added playback support on Extenders  for CGMS-A content such as "The Soprano's" on HBO. I just caught wind that an update for the Xbox kit is on the way- be sure to register your product!

Here it comes, more transparency- parts I and II of my Extreme Makeover experience :)

A number of weeks ago, I wrote a short blurb about my experiences assembling a volunteer team to help out on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project here in the Seattle area. This was a project that came about thanks to a Design Producer contacting Robert Scoble through his blog. Now that the show has aired, I'm posting part II of my experience.

On a Saturday afternoon two weeks before Thanksgiving, I saw the mail and blog entry from Robert and made a few phone calls. By 9:30am Monday, I had talked with the producers, put out the call internally and our virtual-team was assembled. We had to be out at the house on Tuesday (the next day) to do the installation.

I got the phone number of the home networking and theater installer, I got a quick rundown on the wiring - network closet in the upstairs closet, 5.1 surround system downstairs in the "Great Room". We hadn't even seen a floorplan but we knew that Roseanne Dore had three girls, and we knew what their interests were. Of particular interest was the youngest daughter, whom we heard was a budding designer who liked to draw. We felt a Tablet PC would be perfect for her so we made a few phone calls. Roseanne (Mom) was going to be starting a new business so another Tablet PC to manage it was the call for a second system.

After a round of whiteboarding the house, we had to get creative and make a trip to Best Buy in Bellevue, WA to purchase equipment for the house. We had a lot of interesting stares as we were walking out of the store with a pallet of equipment (HP Media Center PCs, software and peripherals). The store was sold-out of HP Digital Entertainment Centers, so these were sourced from another store (Circuit City in Lynnwood if I recall correctly). Other equipment including Tablet PCs were donated by the Tablet PC team.

Back in November, I wrote a short blurb about my experiences assembling a volunteer team to help out on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project here in the Seattle area. This was a project that came about thanks to a Design Producer contacting Robert Scoble through his blog.  Tonight the episode airs on ABC in the US.  Check local listings.

Our team volunteered to do everything from moving furniture into the house and assembling it, to adding a Digital Joy home entertainment system and a new home office, to helping one of the designers, Michael Moloney, move rugs and sofas around trying different placements. In all, it was a group of 6 of us- 3 members of Geek Squad, and 3 of us from Microsoft, all helping out and doing what we could. The experience was phenomenal.

I can't say any more about the epsiode and don't know for sure if you'll see me or others from our team on tonight's episode or tomorrow's "How'd They Do That" spin-off.  What I can say is that I'll write more about the experience after the episode airs and i'm able to. In the meantime, here's a small tid-bit:

Regardless, I'm so honored to know the Dore family personally and to be a part of this experience.  It was a great way to start the holiday season.  More later...

Update: Just to be clear, this was a volunteer project for a local family who most certainly deserved it.  There's no guarantee we'll show up on TV.  I'm recording the ep on my MCE (wife and I are still watching Carnivale) and I'll post more after the "How'd they do that" ep tomorrow. :)

Update #2: Well, some reported seeing me but I didn't. My team was literally a cast of hundreds. We were given 24 hours notice on this opportunity as well and did it with full knowledge there were no guarantees of products being shown.  That's not he point- Roseanne and her girls deserved it. That said, some may have seen the Tablet PC in one shot but there were others. A  free t-shirt to the person who can correctly guess the most equipment in the house. (Tip: we had at least 3 "Jet Black" colored products placed and shown on TV.)