UB2SF

I have been a Comcast cable internet subscriber for a couple years. Recently, we did a huge remodel project, which required us to move out of our house for a few months, and now that we're back in the house, our internet service works differently than before. I've talked to Comcast on multiple occasions and they've been useless, so I thought I would reach out to the oracle of all wisdom, TSW. The problem is that I am unable to use my router to connect more than one computer to the cable modem. Worse yet, I can't even successfully connect any computers except our main home computer to the cable modem. I can only access the internet if my main home computer is connected directly to the cable modem. In other configurations (other computers hooked up to the modem, or the router hooked up to the modem), there is clearly an active connection between the devices, but it won't actually connect to the internet. This wasn't a problem before the remodel -- both in our home and our temporary apartment, we were able to connect multiple computers through the router or directly to the cable modem -- but when we moved back in, this problem started. It seems that somehow the tech installed the service so that we can only connect to the internet through our main home computer hooked up directly to the cable modem. I have tried talking to Comcast "customer service" (quotation marks heavily emphasized) on multiple occasions. They act as if they don't even understand what I'm telling them. I think it's a ploy to get me to upgrade to a different package, but the rent-a-techs on the phone can't even up-sell right -- they haven't even come right out and made the sales pitch. Moreover, my house is wired with network connections in every room and I really don't want to upgrade to new service because I feel like I shouldn't have to. It worked before, but doesn't work now! I did a little Google research and it sounds like there might be a way to "trick" my modem into talking to the router or other computers, but that the success rate is variable and the process might have to be repeated from time to time. What a hassle. Any advice?

I'm glad we no longer have to see that Giant ass, but now we're treated to a snapshot of one of the Bills turnovers against the Packers! This is less a criticism of the site than a symbolic observation about the general state of the franchise.

Agreed on the others posted so far. I'll submit: - "Young Americans" by David Bowie... featuring a young Luther Vandross. - The "Harvest" and "Harvest Moon" albums by Neil Young... featuring James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt

My bad -- I read the responder's comments about teammates but didn't read yours carefully. Sorry bro.

There was that one guy on the Niners. What was his name? The one that won Dancing With the Stars? Jerry something-or-other?

You can't go wrong with driving north across the Golden Gate Bridge, visitng Muir Woods, and heading up the mountain to the home of the best view in the Bay Area, the East Peak of Mount Tamalpais. Some other "only in the Bay Area" attractions: - A stroll down Haight Street - A drive to the top of Twin Peaks - The Mission District for the best burritos in the world - Dinner and dessert in North Beach - An excursion to Sonoma/Napa for the wine & scenery Enjoy!

I have lived in the Bay Area for 20 years, and I can see the Oakland skyline from my desk as I type this, from my house across the bay. I feel like I should defend Oakland somewhat, just as I do for Buffalo when people here (including people from Oakland) bash Buffalo. You're right that Oakland has become a crappy sports town, but I think the people of Oakland are not on the list of reasons why. It's the ownership of the teams that have created the laughing-stocks that we see today. Oakland was a freakin' football mecca in the Madden era (Madden the coach, not Madden the video game), but Al Davis got greedy and moved the team to LA with dreams of becoming the most valuable sports franchise in America. That decision ripped the heart out of the fan base, so when Al's LA dreams didn't pan out and he brought the team back to Oakland, much of the fan base never re-embraced the team. This was compoundd by the string of bad and bizarre ownership decisions made by crazy Al, which, except for a couple good years under Gruden, has left the Raiders with one of the worst cumulative winning percentages of the past decade+. Oakland was also a baseball mecca in the 70s, with ridiculously good and successful teams led by Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, et al. But ownership changes for that franchise led to the past decade+ of "money ball" (spawning the best-selling book and maybe-soon-to-be-movie), which is all about underpaying and looking for raw talent. They've had some success with this approach, but it's ultimately a big F-you to the fan base, who are frustrated with grooming good players who change teams as soon as they hit their peak. Loyalty is impossible in money ball. Oddly, Al Davis has also contributed to the decline of the A's franchise. As an enticement to bring the Raiders back to Oakland, the Coliseum owners agreed to renovate the stadium to make it more football-friendly. This resulted in basically destroying the Coliseum as a good home for baseball, by replacing the awesome center-field area with a monstrosity of grandstand seating for football. A lot of casual A's fans like me decided that their baseball dollars are better spent across the Bay at AT&T Park, which is one of the best baseball stadiums on the planet. Attendance dropped and never recovered. The one team which IMHO is an exception to the crappy-sports-city aspect of Oakland is the Warriors. While they've been near the bottom of the league for a long time, with the exception of a couple years with Baron Davis at the point, the games are actually great entertainment and the team sells out almost all of its games. The run-and-gun offense plus non-existent defense actually makes for a great fan experience with teams like the Lakers, Jazz, Rockets, Mavs, etc making frequent visits. Last year the Warriors were the youngest team in the league and also the highest-scorig team in the league. I go to 5 or 10 Warriors games every season and have no intention of stopping. The place gets loud and boisterous but is still fan-friendly enough for my young kids. Since the OP wanted somebody to tell him of this place they call Oakland, there's my two cents.

needless to say

Timely poll, Jay! This topic came up at the family dinner table a couple weeks ago. I'm an end-to-ender but my wife and kids are around-and-arounders. I postulated that maybe it was somehow because of my Western New York origins, given that my wife is from South Carolina and my kids were born and raised here in the SF Bay Area. I look forward to a robust data set so that I can report back to the family with statistically significant poll results.

Just got off the phone with DTV -- $10 off per month plus free SuperFan. No sour grapes that I didn't get the $20 deal, because free money is free money. I'm calling the Nobel Prize committee to see if I can nominate this post for one of their categories. Not sure which one it will qualify for, but there's gotta be a way! Thanks!!!

When Watson missed that putt on 18, I was sure that he would hold his putter over his head and yell "RAT!@#$!", and get struck by lightning. Then his caddy, Carl Spackler, would hastily slink off into the rainy darkness.

Thanks for the advice, guys... and for the inevitable amusing semi-off-topic banter! We wound up eating at The Distillery. Food and beer were great, and our waitress was very easy on the eyes!

I've been visiting my parents in the Finger Lakes area this week (I live in the SF Bay Area these days), and we'll be heading out of the Rochester airport after dinner. Wondering if anyone has a recommendation for dinner near the airport. Good wings would be a huge plus, and it should be family-friendly because I'll have my three kids in tow. Thanks!

- Sundays at The Ralph (but it was still Rich Stadium when I was there) - the wings - the short drive to get Canadian beer - my friends who are still there - and the Buffalo accent, such as the proper pronunciation of "Cheektwahgga"!

Hooray for moe. -- a great band with good Buffalo connections. I used to jam with Vinnie Amico (drums) when he was at UB and playing with other UB'ers in a band called Sonic Garden. Al Schnier (guitar) was dating a UB friend of mine and would regularly visit UB from Utica. It's great to see that they've been doing so well for so long. Have fun at the show, Pooj! Oh, and sorry for the LAMP reply. How rude of me!

I have 09 for the Wii, and it's definitely easier in tems of basic mechanics. My 7-year-old and 11-year-old can pretty much keep up with me, and they are neither hard-core gamers nor total football wonks. They also like the "call your shot" feature on the Wii version, when you can make up your own passing routes for the receivers.

Thanks for posting, Bill. Much appreciated!

Corey MacIntyre is in position to be, um, whacked off the roster.

"According to Peter King" would be a more accurate post title, because just three days earlier, his CNNSI colleague, Don Banks, picked the Bills as one of 6 new playoff teams! Don Banks - Inside the NFL

Jim Rice (and the other great hitters but not necessarily "sluggers" from the mid-70s Red Sox -- Fred Lynn, Carlton Fisk, and Dwight Evans)

. . .

I've been watching him since high school, because he played prep ball for the private high school around the corner from my house. What I love about him is his intensity -- yes, you can call it the "high motor" thing, but it's more that he plays with a balls-out intesity that sometimes borders on the psycho side. He was a freakin' terror in high school and the players on the other teams were clearly intimidated by him. He still plays with that same intensity, and therefore he tends to raise the energy level of people around him. But every strength is also a weakness, and in his case, it means he sometimes over-pursues or gets called for stupid penalties. I wouldn't mind the Bills checking him out, but I worry that he'll be too expensive and potentially not a good fit for Fewell's scheme. Seems more like a 3-4 'backer to me.

My last name is Wood (no, I'm not kidding), so I'm actually stoked that I can finally get a jersey that will be a keeper regardless of how the player performs or whether he gets traded / released / accused of murdering his ex-wife.

Indeed. He's Donte Whitner of the Buffalo Bills, and he's worth millions!

Great topic! I nominate Fly to the Rainbow, by the Scorpions (here) -- psychedelic hard rock from 1974 with traces of Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream, and Black Sabbath