I upgraded my Dish Network 722 DVR to the Hopper. This was of course accompanied by a series of customer service calls, misunderstandings and corrections that I don't feel like going into here or now. It's too soon.

The new equipment has an improved UI seeing how it's been over 6 years since I had the last one installed and this is at least the second generation of the Hopper. With the improvements come change and change isn't always easy. Previously the recorded shows were grouped (by our choice) by show title and ordered by what was recorded last. Our recording habits were a little gluttonous. Choosing a show became harder and harder to base by mood. We sought a neutral solution.

I downloaded Big Sauce Radom Number Generator for iOS on my phone and used the total number of shows recorded to get a list of numbers. Each show was numbered by the DVR. We simply went to that number and watched the oldest episode of that show.

The Hopper doesn't have a list so much as a grid of icons for the shows.

This is not an image of my DVR

This now begins my new search to find a way to randomly choose something to watch on my DVR.

Keely suggested getting a set of 2 random numbers and assign them coordinates. For example "2,4" would be the second row fourth column (in the image above that would be 2&1/2 men).  Its a sound method but we're going to spend more time than I'd like determining how many rows there are at any given time.

Wish me luck.

I like to think I'm clever

I use AppsGoneFree (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apps-gone-free-best-daily/id470693788?mt=8) to get iOS apps when their cost has dipped down to nothing in a promotional effort to stir up buzz for their app. It has made me an app horder. Usually in a few days of downloading and trying 1/2 of the apps I come to the conclusion that they are not for me.   I can be temperamental and change my mind later on even after the apps have gone back to their normal price because they have been recorded as purchased in my iTunes cloud.  When I see them in the AppStore instead of having an "install" button I see a cloud button with a blue arrow pointing down.

However some apps truly are not for me and will probably never be for me, forever.  One such app is 100walls (https://itunes.apple.com/tc/app/escape-100-walls/id659546545?mt=8). It's a puzzle game with little to no instruction (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeryE-e3frBCOlHGjmH541WvGAwe8FMF_) and as of right now I have enough thinking puzzles in my real life and have no need to supplement my brain in my spare time that way.

It did however lend itself to some value for me anyway. The start up screen had some pretty images that I screen captured to make my lock screen and home screen wallpaper. 

When the phone is unlocked the door appears to open. 

http://youtu.be/E3BND_PGoKI

Useless yes but it makes me feel clever and I'm happy with myself when I feel like that. I've come to the general conclusion that being happy with myself is the ultimate goal for this life.