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Comment by nickcw | Hacker News Reader

I was always very impressed with MythTV. It was the first project that I saw that made really good use of versioning their mysql database with SQL queries to change the schema linked to the software version.

I used it extensively. I obsessively recorded everything off over the air digital TV and wrote it to DVDs. I had a little script to look up ratings of movies in IMDB, apply weighting factors due to personal tastes and record all the ones which made the grade. I'd then edit the commercials out and burn to DVDs all losslessly.

However, this all came to an end when my 2 year old son took the running hosepipe from the garden one summer, through the open patio doors into the house and proceeded to fill up the MythTV computer with water (along with the TV, VCR, DVD player and sofa!).

I never quite had the heart to resurrect the system after that and it was an end to my MythTV obsession. It was fun while it lasted.

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Oh, the memory of my father's face, when I learned about and put into practice the command "format c:"

Back in 2096 I had myth running on a cube shaped PC by my TV. It had one fan, with a fancy pipe work to shift heat from the processor.

I got an email while I was at work on a night shift with a cou temperature increase. Sshed in and could see the temperature rising and rising. 70, 80, 90, 100 (c)

Then my ssh command died.

Finished work at 10am and started the 90 minute drive home, wondering if there’s be a home to sleep it. Fortunately on inspection it was the fan that failed. Everything had died, couldn’t get it to boot, and so ended my mythtv adventure.

It was great, had a little usb box which plugged into my sky box and send remote control command to switch sky chal lens. A hardware mpeg2 pci capture card to record, etc.

But for me it was a product of its time. I haven’t watched linear tv since 2016 except for a few special live programs.

I thought it morphed into xbmc to be honest.

You were living in the future, my friend.

You would think that in 70 years, we would finally have passive cooling.

You didn’t try to issue a panicky shutdown command once the CPU temp hit 90?

Agree. It was a product of its time.

As a Canadian, I was the only one in town with TiVo ( MythTV ) when it was a US only thing.

I was obsessed with it but I do not really remember how it ended. I guess at one house I had MythTV and then at the next I had XBMC. So my guess is that torrents were enough of a thing that I just never got around to setting up MythTV again.

I believe that XBMC became Kodi. Myth has always been its own thing.

This is very relatable. I guess I should count myself lucky that my then-3yo "only" hurled a remote and smashed the TV in retaliation for TV time being over. And that I only buy the "cheap" $4-500 TVs instead of the high-end ones.

"What on earth would make you do something like that?!!"

"Poor genetic material?"

...

"Bad guess."

(Calvin and Hobbes)

Does home insurance cover act of children while they are in they are in their probably possessed by demon stage?

Would guess that daemonic possession falls under force majeure.

Interestingly most policies exclude acts of God. Not quite sure where that fits in tho

By default, no. But if you've got an accidental damage clause in your policy, it would generally cover such losses. Although it would probably help to characterize it as an unfortunate accident caused by your little cherub rather than the spiteful act of your devil spawn.

I love my children with all of my heart but they can be so destructive in learning through mistakes.

Mine deleted my game save slots in Metroid Prime 2 when I was about 99% through. I didn't have the heart to start over, so it will remain forever unfinished.

That doesn't even come close to watering the electronics, though, I can't even imagine the patience required in that situation.

Oof. Good to know for any upcoming parenthood :). Though I guess any data loss was small considering you burned (water-resistant) DVDs?

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