Now that our favorite television shows are on a writers-strike hiatus, that TiVo Series 3 you spent your hard-earned money on is sitting there begging to be used. While your To-Do list may be bare, fear not as there are many other things you can do with your TiVo until all parties resolve their issues. Take the jump for five suggestions.

5. Games
Don't expect to find Halo 3 on your TiVo, but if you have some time to waste and first-person shooters are not your cup of tea, kick back with SameGame (a form of Bejeweled), Wordsmith (a Scrabble knockoff) and Skull and Bones (TiVo's version of Connect Four). While none of these are going to keep you up all night trying to beat a high score, it's great fun showing your family games from your childhood… on your TV.

4. Podcasts
There are thousands of people podcasting their thoughts and ideas, some of them on topics you're actually interested in. You're not going to find every podcast in every category (all the explicit stuff is absent), but TiVo has a decent selection of shows you might like. If you don't want a black box telling you what you should be listening to, just enter the URL of your favorite podcast. Unfortunately, entering a long address can be quite tedious using TiVo's text system, and if you don't have it exact, it won't work.

If you're in the mood to find out what cranky tech journalists think, want your dose of comics-book news, or just want to see some dancing girls from Vegas, check out the video podcasts under Download TV and Movies. Steer clear of the vids that are nothing more than commercials in disguise (Cooking Demonstrations, I'm looking at you), and you'll discover a few gems. Keep in mind video files are much larger than audio, so make sure your TiVo is connected directly to your home network or be prepared for long wait times as the files download.

3. Share your home movies
Want to share the video of your latest family vacation but don't want a house full of people eating your snacks? One of the newest features of TiVo is the ability to share your home movies via One True Media. Simply create an account, upload your video, and send the 16-digit passcode to friends and family. It's like having your own private YouTube.

2. Music
With access to everything from Rhapsody to Live365, your favorite music selection is just s few clicks away. Unless you are a fan of renting music, the paid service from Rhapsody will probably not be for you, but Live365 provides plenty of free content to keep you rockin'. If you find a song particularly delightful, you can e-mail the track info to yourself so you can buy it later. Just don't let your friends find out you've been listening to the Yanni channel — that will really ruin your Superbowl party.

1. Put your computer on the big screen
Back in the day, bringing out the slide projector was one of the best (and most boring) ways of showing photos to your guests. Now, instead of a single carousel of slides, you can select from the thousands of photos on the network. Once you install the TiVo Desktop software on your Mac or PC you'll be able to listen to your downloaded music on your home theater system, or access all the photos stored on your hard drive. Take your time, writers…