• New Updates this Week!!!

    Posted on by BR Comment

    So a huge thanks to everyone that has been visiting my new Blog and leaving such awesome feedback and questions! I promise I will answer them and I’ll be posting new additions to “Kicking Cable” and starting a new section this week that will interest a lot of people looking to get into shape this year.

    Also due to all these new posts and sections, I’ve decided to redesign the site to make it easier to find stuff. Expect a whole new look and feel as well as a Facebook Fan Page and Twitter feed to keep up with the latest Posts and News! Thanks again!

    BR


  • The New Year’s Resolutions

    Posted on by BR Comment1

    So it’s a new year and it would seem the earth will not explode. So now we all focus on our New year’s resolutions. If you’ve been keeping up on my Kicking Cable Posts you know I’ve given up paying way to damn much for Cable TV and as of Jan 1st 2012 have kicked it.

    The Question has been posed to me by Jill from Vermont “what other recommendations would I make for a good New Year’s resolution. Well there is always the get a gym membership, stop drinking, quit smoking, or stop drinking soda ones. But those never work and they over crowd my gym so now I have to wait 20 min for a damn elliptical machine.

    So here are a few alternatives I’ve thought up.

    1. Go outside – Trust me in today’s society this is the easiest and most overlooked path to a quick improvement in your overall outlook and health.  Just walking in the sunlight for 20 min gives you exercise, peace of mind and vitamin D which metabolizes much better if your skin receives natural light.  Read about Vitamin D here.
    2. If you smoke, buy an e-cigarette – I just bought one of these (so I can have a smoke while I work) and I’ll be blogging about it in the next few days.  It makes me hack just like the real thing (since I smoke Cigars mostly and do not inhale)  as well as giving me a nice Nicotine buzz with the added benefit of being able to smoke it where ever I want.  Plus the flavors are a nice change especially to ones breath.
    3.  Unsubscribe from emails you never read – We all have these.  The store we went to one time, that newsletter that you signed up for 10 years ago, or that blog update from people who have nothing interesting to say.  Just look at the emails you delete or ignore and unsubscribe already.
    4.  Clean out your car – We spend so much time in our cars.  It’s about time we make it time worth spending.  Just cleaning out your car and giving it a nice vacuum and steam cleaning the seats/carpet will make it feel like a new vehicle.
    5.  Save a buck -  Literally!  Save 1 dollar every day.  That’s all.  Then next year use that $365 to fund another New Year’s resolution.  Neat huh.  And if you can do $1 maybe next year try $2.
    6.  Make a Bucket List -  That things you want to do before you die list.  And they don’t have to be huge.   An item I had on my list was to order the Super Boat at a local Sushi restaurant with my Good friend Big Jon.  It was the most expensive thing on the menu and every time we went we said “we need to get that one day.”  So finally I said this time we’re doing it.  It was just a sushi dinner but once you overcome one item it’s easier to tick off the next.

     

    So that’s my list. I hope you find these ideas useful and encourage you to post your own ideas below.


  • Living off the Grid.

    For everyone who thinks they cannot live without cable TV, open the windows instead of running the AC or not have the latest smart phone you should watch MTV’s Real Life – Living off the grid.  It’s amazing how some people just say “the hell with it” and leave modern comforts all together.

    http://www.mtv.com/videos/true-life-im-living-off-the-grid/1596326/playlist.jhtml


  • Websites for Free, Legal TV Episodes and Movies

    All the links below go to site that allow you to watch free online episodes of popular TV shows and Movies. They are fully legal.  As I find more I will add them to this Post. If you have any links to legal sources of TV shows or Movies leave them in the comments below and I’ll add them.

    Crunchy Role – Lots of Anime and Oriental Drama show.  Naruto, Bleach, Gundam and more

    Discovery Channel -  Clips and Full Episodes of Discovery Channel shows including Shark Week

    Fox – Shows like Family Guy, American dad, The Cleveland Show, House, Terra Nova, The Simpsons and more.  New episodes available 8 days after their TV air date.

    History Channel – Many of the series from the History Channel including Ice Rod Truckers, Ancient Aliens, and American Pickers

    Hulu – Many  TV shows, Anime and Movies all in one place.  Content updated regularly.

    Nick Jr – Popular Nick Junior episodes and clips  from Bubble Guppies, Dora, Team Umizoomi and more

    South Park Studios – Full Episodes of South Park and Clips

     

    More added as time and sources permit.

     


  • I’ll Solve Pat. Is it *igger?

    So, if you’ve seen The South Park episode where Stan’s Dad lets the N-word slip on Wheel of Fortune here is a live action version.  I think Awkward is the only way to describe it.

     

    The South Park version of this can be found here.


  • Kicking Cable P2 – But all my stuff is on my DVR!

    So you’ve built up a huge Library on your DVR that you don’t want to part with.  Then save it!

    A reason I hear more and more that someone does not want to give up their cable service is

    “I don’t want to lose the shows on my DVR”.

    People, this is why Cable and Sat companies give them to you for free or really cheap and also why the drives hold so many hours of air time.  They are preying on humans instinct to Hoard possessions by making you feel protective of something you probably don’t even own!

    There are a bunch of ways to back your stuff up.  But before I go on, a word on Copyrights.  Just because something is on your DVR does not necessarily mean you have the right to copy it to another device or media.    So please contact your Content Provider/Cable Company before using the methods posted below about the rules/laws in your area.

    So with that out of the way here are a few options.

    Method 1Get the shows elsewhere.  This is the easiest and in my opinion the best method.  Just buy the stuff on DVD/BR or watch it online!   Most shows these days come out on disk a few weeks after the last episode of the season airs or can be found online as soon as the episode airs on TV.   And the source for DVDs is endless, Amazon, eBay, local stores, yard sales for as little as 25 cents, etc, etc.   Next, there are tons of websites out there that legally stream shows in high quality.  I’ll be covering this in a later post about where to find videos legally for free.   And of course you can always just check out TV series and movies at your local library.  If you want to spend a little money you can always go with Netflix or a similar service but we are here to cut our budgets not get suckered into another service!

    Method 2The old DVR to DVR – Remember the golden age of the VCR?  When you would hook two VCRs up to each other and copy movies because playing the original too many times would ruin it.  The same thing goes for DVRs.  Buy a new non cable company DVR and just plug your first DVR into it and hit record.  Easy Peasy.  You will need a DVR with Component Analog HD input for best quality because you cannot use an HDMI cable for this due to the restrictive nature of recording Digital content.  Hit Play on your old DVR and record on the new one.  Let the video play and hit stop when its done.

    Method 3 -  Use a capture card on your laptop or desktop Computer – This is easy enough as well, buy and install a video capture card.  I recommend AVerMedia or Hauppauge.  Again chose one that can do HD with component cables. Hookup your DVR and playback the video on your computer.  Then just hit record.

    Method 4Firewire capture – This method uses a little more technical effort.  Some DVR cable boxes like the Scientific America 8300HDC have firewire ports on the back that can stream video just like a camcorder!  Use a firewire cable to connect the DVR to your PC then install the drivers just like a camcorder and use a capture program to save the video to your computer.  This is by far the best quality method since it results in a copy of the file on your DVR!  An example of this is here.  Use VLC player to play these files back.  Note: some of these programs only work in Windows XP or Vista and you need a firewire port on your computer, so keep that in mind before you go this route.

    Method 5Just start fresh!  That’s right just delete those shows and return the cable DVR and BE FREE my brothers and sisters!   It feels better than you think!  I mean really, how many times can you re-watch Lost!

    So there you go, no excuse to keep that old DVR!  And if you went route 2 or 3 you can now record shows if you go the Free HD over air route with a HD over air tuner box which I will talk about in a later post.

     

     

     

     

    Note:  for legal purposes please note that you are NOT to use the above methods to illegally copy copyrighted materials.  These instructions are only for content that you have full rights to disperse or copy.  These methods are also listed  for hypothetical purposes only.  You use these methods at your own risk and as doing so hold this website and the author non-liable for any damages, etc.


  • Kicking Cable Pt 1

    So, I don’t know about you but I’m freaking tired of paying the ever rising cable bill.  For me I have HD, DVR, Phone, and Internet (lowest version).  This is like $150 a month and it’s eating my money and life away!  I mean what would you do with an extra 4 hours a day and $1800 a year?

    So in my next few posts all tagged with “Kicking Cable”  I’ll walk you through how to get all your shows, movies etc online, Legally even!  I’ll also outline what you’ll need to make your house A digital marvel of the future with your own networked storage and media database allowing you to watch whatever you want, whenever you want.

    I’ll also be discussing Free over air HD TV and which antenna I recommend to pick up all of your local channels.

     

    Stay Tuned to Tune out!


  • Cooler weather = More skating

    So the weather is finally cooling off here in sunny FL which means the water will be getting cooler and so will the air.  I hate surfing in cold water so when the Fall come I migrate to blades and  boards with wheels.   Out of my boards this is my fav.

    Element Helium desk, Independent Koston low trucks, Bones Swiss bearings, Bones bushings and Element wheels.  Plus a little paint work for the BR exclusive sig.  This thing is fast as hell.

    It’s still like new because I have 2 beater boards I use to practice with.  But It’s time to really break this one in.


  • Hilarious videos about not jumping to conclusions.

    Don’t Judge too Quickly.  I love the one where the Dad is taking the girls to a concert!!  ROFL


     


  • Human Hamster Wheel

    Well, I don’t think it would be right if I didn’t start this site off right with a classic Video.  Here is The Original Random Acts Crew in the Human Hamster Wheel!




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