Yes, yet more Roomba love. While some guys probably were watching the clock at the office, ready to turn on ESPN and see the Raiders take on the Seahawks for this weekly tradition they call Monday Night Football, all I really wanted to do was get home, feed the dog, and vacuum. This isn't because I've turned a new, industrious leaf, it isn't because of any concussions, or an internal need to focus on homemaking. Instead, I just wanted to turn on our brand new Roomba cleaner, and see it take on the house. Now, while I scarcely left the couch, our home is criss-crossed and seemingly dirt-free.

You might recall that among my wife's birthday presents yesterday, she received a Roomba vacuum from iRobot. After we'd tested it last night, it got its first full workout tonight. I turned the machine on Max, and let it go.

Aside from one incident where the Roomba clamped onto an iPod Firewire cable and decided to take that along, and repeated attempts to run over our beagle, the vacuum cleaner was mischief free and intent on eliminating dirt from our condo. When it detected dirt, a blue light would come on, and the Roomba would turn in circles to get rid of it. And to make sure our dog wasn't too deprived, I turned on an invisible wall in front of her water dish, making sure the Roomba wouldn't knock it over. I'd seen how the Roomba aggressively tried to knock over grounded unlit candles and our footstool, so I wasn't about to have to put the hound and our robot slave against one another in court.

Today, when I raved about the device at work, people said the Roomba sounded pretty cool, but did it actually do its job and clean? After letting it run its course, and emptying its dust bin, I can unequivocally say that it does. While I haven't put it through the ringer with flour, sand or dirt, there was plenty to empty by the time it ran out of juice and gave up - in the middle of battling a throw rug - one of the device's rare losses.

Is it wrong for me to be enjoying my wife's birthday present with her out? If you ask Homer Simpson, he'd say no, but maybe there's something to it. Or maybe my wife will just be happy something got done with her away. From what she keeps telling me, I don't do anything at all - and while that still may be true, at least I've found a robot to do it for me.

Listening to ''Rock the Casbah'', by The Clash (Play Count: 5)

November 5th is a big day in our household - every year - as it just so happens to be my wife's birthday. While I don't always plan way in advance, and don't reach the 10th percentile in gift wrapping ability, I usually aim to have something fun for her to open up. Today, she got two gifts - something very small, and something bigger. The tiny item was Apple's brand-new iPod Shuffle which only hit store shelves this last Friday (making only two days old), and the larger item was more practical, yet almost as geeky - Roomba's robotic vacuum cleaner. For some reason, I think I just might end up having more fun with the vacuum cleaner than the iPod Shuffle...

For the last few years, we've amused ourselves with the idea of leaving for work and coming back to find the house cleaned by a cylindrical slave robot - damned to do our chores with us out. Ever since the first version of iRobot's Roomba vacuum came out, I've read about their tricks on the Web, and eyed them curiously in stores - but not until today did we take the plunge and immerse ourselves in Jetsonian household bliss - should our new pet robot turn out as we have planned.

While the iPod Shuffle is so small that it presents a choking hazard for young children, the Roomba instead came in a suitcase-like box, complete with handle on top for lugging. After unpacking, we found a few parts, but very little assembly needed. The power cord leads to the machine's docking station, which holds the device. A remote control helps us to schedule its chores, and we even have the option to set up wireless "walls" to stop the Roomba from entering specific rooms, or plunging to its death over a stairwell (if we had those in our Silicon Valley condo).

After three hours of charging, the docking station glowed green, signaling it was ready to eat dirt and take prisoners. We hit the "Clean" button on the remote control, and with a tune reminiscent of a victory charge, the Roomba set off to tackle our carpet. Charging forward without sight, the frisbee-like robot whirred to and fro, zipping all over the room, getting under chairs and in corners where our upright vacuum feared to tread. With a helpful push, we set it off into our main living area, and saw the Roomba glide hover-like over the carpet, softly slamming into walls, chairs, the tables or our sofa, but rising, no worse for the wear, to take on the next crazy angle.

While our beagle looked on amused, we had stopped everything. The TiVo was turned off, laptops put away, as we peered over the edges of the couch to see how our little electronic puppet was doing our bidding. Needless to say, my wife was elated. Somewhere in our past, we moved beyond the point where getting one another household appliances for a gift would have been the ultimate of letdowns, and we both laughed as our sightless automaton tried its darndest to climb over throw rugs and escape from leg-wielding chairs. The Roomba was the most exciting, funniest thing going on.

Now, we can't wait to schedule the little beast to do chores with us out, to see if we can come home to clean carpets, zigzag patterns, and a frazzled hound. That trip begins this week. I hope our little Roomba (not yet named) gets enough rest tonight before its big day.

Listening to ''What Else Is There?'', by Röyksopp (Play Count: 11)

I use RSS feeds all day long, both at home and at work, to keep updated on the world of technology, sports, politics, family, and business. For the last year-plus, my RSS reader of choice has been NetNewswire, powered by NewsGator Online, but the idea of taking a Web application and accessing it through a desktop application isn't as natural as if I could get my updates through my Web browser. With the advent of Google Reader, I can now catch up on all my RSS feeds immediately, and Google remembers what elements are new, regardless of my location - so I'm never forced to read the same article twice. (See the screenshot on the left)

While there are some performance issues that force a lag between each page of 20 new items, I'm giving Google Reader a serious shot at becoming my RSS reader of choice.

On Friday, I read Google and NewsGator's instructions on how to Export an OPML file from NewsGator and Import that file to Google Reader. That meant that instead of duplicating efforts to search the Web and re-bookmark my favorites, I was instantly synchronized. This weekend, I expanded my Google Reader activity to "share" items I like in a public Web site you can visit. Now, instead of going to NetNewswire, reading stories and walking away, I can instantly share items I find interesting with you, without forcing a new post on the blog.

That page can be found here:
Louis Gray's Shared Items

If you haven't yet discovered the benefits of RSS, you're surfing the Internet with one hand tied behind your back. If you're using a desktop reader that doesn't synchronize via the Web, you're not using the best tools out there, and Google's aiming to add innovation in ways that make sense for you. Check out Google Reader for yourself.

Listening to ''40 Years Back Come'', by Royksopp (Play Count: 5)

We've got our Saturday routine fairly well set around our household. Determine which local team is playing, make sure we have tickets, and go. That's it. All spring and summer long, we took a trip up 880 to see the A's, and now as we've turned to fall, and the days are shorter and more crisp, our allegiances have migrated to Cal football, and we are very lucky to be taking in one of the very best football seasons Cal has turned in for the last several decades.

Today, we made the trek to Memorial Stadium to see the 10th ranked Cal Bears do battle with the UCLA Bruins from Los Angeles, in an attempt to win their 8th straight, and to sneak further up the national rankings and all-important BCS chart. It turns out that our plan was quite popular, as more than 72,500 fans made their way to Berkeley, for yet another sellout, and yet another good game.

Cal got on the board first, early in the 1st quarter, tallying a touchdown, and leading 7-0. UCLA struck back with a touchdown of their own to tie, and they hung around through halftime, as the teams headed to the locker room with Cal up only 14-10, in a game where they were expected to win by double digits - quite the change from years past, when Cal would have been the decided underdog to their UC brethren from Southern Cal.

As the teams returned to the field, Cal wanted no part of a close game, scoring twice in the third quarter to extend their lead to 28-10, and despite a pair of late touchdowns by the Bruins, Cal went on to win the game by a final margin of 38-24, marking the first time in more than 50 years that the Bears had won eight straight contests, and keeping the team a full game ahead of USC in the Pac Ten conference standings. With the USC Trojans waxing the hapless, winless, Stanford Cardinal 42-0 in Palo Alto, the scene is set for Cal to do battle in Pasadena in two weeks, after taking on the Arizona Wildcats this upcoming Saturday.

So, now as Saturday has drawn to a close, and the cannon's booming becoming only an echo in our memory, our voices hoarse from shouting, and stomach full from ballpark food, we know we've done our parts as sports fans today - and we're happy to have played this role for such a deserving squad.

Listening to ''Praise You'', by Fatboy Slim (Play Count: 7)