The Navigator is the new interface for Oceanic cable boxes. It looks snazzier and I suppose it has some new features that I'll find useful (e.g. like finding shows).
However to me it's not an upgrade if you can't do something that you could do with the old version.
In particular, they have removed the record to VCR feature (actually I was using it to record to my DVD-recorder). What this feature allows you to do is to record to your VCR while watching another show. So now in order to record, you have to watch the same show that you're recording.
I confirmed that this feature has been removed when I chatted online with one of the Oceanic reps (or whoever he was working with). He said (or read from his prepared responses) that it was not supported because the VCR is "obsolete" technology. [here's the quote: "I am sorry, Mr. Ching, but that option is not available anymore, the VCR is an obsolete technology and we do not work with it anymore."] In other words, it is now obsolete to want to save shows for posterity?
I think it's more like the media companies don't want to kill sales of Blu-Ray disks or streaming video. So they're not supporting anything that might hamper their sales in any fashion.
***
Now I see at the Navigator link above, that there is a link for saving recordings to VHS. And actually it wasn't written in response to the removal of the Save To VCR feature. It was because the Navigator also removed support for external hard drives. So they provided instructions to save the recordings to VCR before the switchover to the new Navigator. So if you have recordings on an external hard drive and didn't save them -- too bad. I guess they are deeming external hard drives as obsolete technology too.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Saturday, May 07, 2011
teachparentstech
TeachParentsTech.org is filled with more than 50 basic how-to videos that you can send to your parents, or really anyone who might need a little tech help. These videos cover a wide range of topics from copying and pasting to how to video chat (one that I had to deal with recently). Each video is very brief (less than a minute), so they should be able to sit through them without their eyes glazing over.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Zuckerberg Time's Person of the Year
For connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them, for creating a new system of exchanging information and for changing how we live our lives, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is TIME's 2010 Person of the Year.
At 26, Zuckerberg is the youngest "Person of the Year" since the first one chosen, Charles Lindbergh; he was 25 when he was named in 1927, Time said Wednesday. Zuckerberg beat out Britain's Queen Elizabeth II by just two weeks: She was 26 when she was named in 1952.
Zuckerberg has built Facebook into an international phenomenon by stretching the lines of social convention and embracing a new and far more permeable definition of community. In this new world, users are able to construct a social network well beyond what would ever be possible face-to-face.
"I'm trying to make the world a more open place," Zuckerberg says in the "bio" line of his own Facebook page.
At 26, Zuckerberg is the youngest "Person of the Year" since the first one chosen, Charles Lindbergh; he was 25 when he was named in 1927, Time said Wednesday. Zuckerberg beat out Britain's Queen Elizabeth II by just two weeks: She was 26 when she was named in 1952.
Zuckerberg has built Facebook into an international phenomenon by stretching the lines of social convention and embracing a new and far more permeable definition of community. In this new world, users are able to construct a social network well beyond what would ever be possible face-to-face.
"I'm trying to make the world a more open place," Zuckerberg says in the "bio" line of his own Facebook page.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
WarCraft II on Vista
For some reason, I thought WarCraft II didn't run on Vista. Maybe it's because I noted previously on my old CyberClub page that Vista didn't support IPX. Actually I never tried to run it.
But Libert called me tonight. He's back in Hawaii.
Got me to google WarCraft II and Vista and found there's a version that works on Vista. Available at war2custom.com. Don't feel like I'm pirating it because I already have like six legitimate copies of War2:BNE.
Downloaded and tried it and it runs on Vista. I think it's best launched by running War2Launcher. Didn't try to play with anybody. Apparently the only server that works is the Russian server.
***
[10/14/14] Supposedly a few people at Blizzard were working to get War2 working on the newer operating systems (I assume Windows 7 and 8). Well, it's been almost a year since the article.
But Libert called me tonight. He's back in Hawaii.
Got me to google WarCraft II and Vista and found there's a version that works on Vista. Available at war2custom.com. Don't feel like I'm pirating it because I already have like six legitimate copies of War2:BNE.
Downloaded and tried it and it runs on Vista. I think it's best launched by running War2Launcher. Didn't try to play with anybody. Apparently the only server that works is the Russian server.
***
[10/14/14] Supposedly a few people at Blizzard were working to get War2 working on the newer operating systems (I assume Windows 7 and 8). Well, it's been almost a year since the article.
Monday, February 28, 2011
my Blu-Ray player
Hey, got my Blu-Ray player. Got it from Sue who got it from Howard who apparently bought a new one. Sue didn't really need it because she only has standard def TV. (I guess I can give it back when she gets her wide-screen TV.)
I ran XXX: State of the Union on it and compared it to the DVD running on my DVD recorder. The picture does look sharper, but it's not as great of a difference as watching a show on a HD channel on cable vs. the SD channel. Well, for one thing, the DVD does show up as wide-screen. The second thing is that my TV is 720p so that the difference between 480p and 720p isn't as big as 480p and 1080p. (Though I read that it's hard to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p anyway.)
Another difference is that the spoken audio seems softer on the Blu-Ray. I think it's made to be played on audio equipment while I'm just using the sound on the TV. When I play other tracks, the sound is louder. Adjusting the Audio DRC setting on the player (as suggested in the manual) didn't seem to make much difference. But the audio track on the special feature was louder. And when I tried Kung Fu Hustle, the Chinese audio was louder than the English. Now I'm trying the XXX DVD on the Blu-Ray player and the sound does seem a little louder (trying to compare the spoken audio volume with the background music).
Another difference was that the subtitles were smaller and smoother. The DVD subtitles were more blocky and yellow, while the Blu-Ray subtitles were white.
One more thing. I tried playing a full frame DVD (The Mummy) on the Blu-Ray player and the picture was stretched to the edges of the screen (making everything look fatter). [Trying out my full-frame Star Trek: TOS DVD -- yep same thing.] My DVD recorder actually does the same thing, but if I force the HDMI mode back to 480p, then the picture has the proper aspect ratio. (see my earlier post below) I think the TV interprets anything over 480p as a wide-screen signal and stretches the signal. (Either that or the DVD player is stretching it.) The Blu-Ray player seems to upscale everything to 1080p (looking at the info display from the TV). I don't see anyway around it. Well, maybe if I hooked up the Blu-Ray player with the A/V cables to the composite input.. (A project for later just to satisfy my curiosity. ... Yep, that works.)
Anyway, based on this initial viewing I wouldn't say a Blu-Ray player is a must-have. The Blu-Ray picture is sharper, but isn't really a quantum-leap over a DVD. I think it would be be more of a difference if you have a 50" screen or bigger (I have a 42" plasma). Or have better eyes than me.
***
Playing the XXX: SOTU special feature on the Blu-Ray. The picture is stretched. Popping in the DVD into my DVD-Recorder shows that the special feature was shot in full-frame. Changing the TV aspect ratio to 4:3 shrinks the picture horizontally solves the problem for the DVD. But changing it to 4:3 on the Blu-Ray just cuts the sides off.
Don't notice any complaints on the internet about this. So maybe it's not a common problem to Blu-Ray players but a problem with my Panansonic TV. Maybe not, because I see in my anamorphic/non-anamorphic post below that the Sony had the same problem.)
... Now trying out the XXX Blu-Ray special feature with A/V cables. OK, that works. The output is 480i and switching to 4:3 doesn't cut off the edges. Actually the picture isn't that bad. I bet a lot of people hook up their Blu-Ray player that way (especially if the player didn't come with an HDMI cable in the box) and think they're watching Hi-Def.
***
Now I'm trying my Criterion Collection Armageddon which is non-anamorphic wide-screen. I'm surprised to see it display at the proper aspect ratio with the Panasonic TV in full mode. But actually it's apparently automatically zooming the picture because when I turn on the sub-titles the bottom line is cut off. I guess that's a choice that Sony made, to automatically zoom non-anamorphic DVDs?
When I play the same DVD on my Toshiba DVD-Recorder in full mode, the picture is stretched horizontally. I have to set it to 480p mode on the DVD player and 4:3 or zoom on the TV to get the proper proportion. Zoom fills the screen horizontally. (Again, it's in the post below.)
***
[11/20/11] OK found the fix to the problem on page 41 of the manual. Changed the Screen Format in Video Settings from Original to Fixed Aspect Ratio. "Changes the picture size to fit the screen size with the original picture aspect ratio."
XXX: SOTU feature now plays fine with black bars on each side. Also tested The Mummy Returns, King of Queens, Three Stooges. All OK. Dog Whisperer Season 2 and 3. Both are wide-screen, but non-anamorphic, so the picture is small with black borders on top and bottom as well as the sides (you can still zoom it with the TV). Season 4 is wide-screen, anamorphic and filled the screen as it should.
[7/25/12] I don't know if this is the same problem, but when I play my DVR-R recordings of widescreen, the aspect ratio is fine when I play it on the TV via HDMI (though the whole picture is shrunk, so I zoom it). But when playing it via the composite connection, when I zoom it, it just zooms vertically to fill the top and bottom bars, but the side bars remain. So the picture looks squeezed from the sides.
Popping in my Armageddon, the picture now looks fine in full mode on the TV. [Actually the picture looks pretty good - the Blu-Ray must be automatically upscaling] Though the sub-titles are still cut off.
Setting the Blu-Ray player from fixed aspect ratio to original. And back to Dogs In The City. The picture via HDMI now looks stretched horizontally. But via composite, the 4:3 and zoom modes look in proportion.
Putting back in Armageddon. The picture still looks stretched vertically in zoom mode. OK, I dunno. I guess I'll have to work it on a case-by-case basis. Between full and zoom. And between original and fixed aspect ratio.
I ran XXX: State of the Union on it and compared it to the DVD running on my DVD recorder. The picture does look sharper, but it's not as great of a difference as watching a show on a HD channel on cable vs. the SD channel. Well, for one thing, the DVD does show up as wide-screen. The second thing is that my TV is 720p so that the difference between 480p and 720p isn't as big as 480p and 1080p. (Though I read that it's hard to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p anyway.)
Another difference is that the spoken audio seems softer on the Blu-Ray. I think it's made to be played on audio equipment while I'm just using the sound on the TV. When I play other tracks, the sound is louder. Adjusting the Audio DRC setting on the player (as suggested in the manual) didn't seem to make much difference. But the audio track on the special feature was louder. And when I tried Kung Fu Hustle, the Chinese audio was louder than the English. Now I'm trying the XXX DVD on the Blu-Ray player and the sound does seem a little louder (trying to compare the spoken audio volume with the background music).
Another difference was that the subtitles were smaller and smoother. The DVD subtitles were more blocky and yellow, while the Blu-Ray subtitles were white.
One more thing. I tried playing a full frame DVD (The Mummy) on the Blu-Ray player and the picture was stretched to the edges of the screen (making everything look fatter). [Trying out my full-frame Star Trek: TOS DVD -- yep same thing.] My DVD recorder actually does the same thing, but if I force the HDMI mode back to 480p, then the picture has the proper aspect ratio. (see my earlier post below) I think the TV interprets anything over 480p as a wide-screen signal and stretches the signal. (Either that or the DVD player is stretching it.) The Blu-Ray player seems to upscale everything to 1080p (looking at the info display from the TV). I don't see anyway around it. Well, maybe if I hooked up the Blu-Ray player with the A/V cables to the composite input.. (A project for later just to satisfy my curiosity. ... Yep, that works.)
Anyway, based on this initial viewing I wouldn't say a Blu-Ray player is a must-have. The Blu-Ray picture is sharper, but isn't really a quantum-leap over a DVD. I think it would be be more of a difference if you have a 50" screen or bigger (I have a 42" plasma). Or have better eyes than me.
***
Playing the XXX: SOTU special feature on the Blu-Ray. The picture is stretched. Popping in the DVD into my DVD-Recorder shows that the special feature was shot in full-frame. Changing the TV aspect ratio to 4:3 shrinks the picture horizontally solves the problem for the DVD. But changing it to 4:3 on the Blu-Ray just cuts the sides off.
Don't notice any complaints on the internet about this. So maybe it's not a common problem to Blu-Ray players but a problem with my Panansonic TV. Maybe not, because I see in my anamorphic/non-anamorphic post below that the Sony had the same problem.)
... Now trying out the XXX Blu-Ray special feature with A/V cables. OK, that works. The output is 480i and switching to 4:3 doesn't cut off the edges. Actually the picture isn't that bad. I bet a lot of people hook up their Blu-Ray player that way (especially if the player didn't come with an HDMI cable in the box) and think they're watching Hi-Def.
***
Now I'm trying my Criterion Collection Armageddon which is non-anamorphic wide-screen. I'm surprised to see it display at the proper aspect ratio with the Panasonic TV in full mode. But actually it's apparently automatically zooming the picture because when I turn on the sub-titles the bottom line is cut off. I guess that's a choice that Sony made, to automatically zoom non-anamorphic DVDs?
When I play the same DVD on my Toshiba DVD-Recorder in full mode, the picture is stretched horizontally. I have to set it to 480p mode on the DVD player and 4:3 or zoom on the TV to get the proper proportion. Zoom fills the screen horizontally. (Again, it's in the post below.)
***
[11/20/11] OK found the fix to the problem on page 41 of the manual. Changed the Screen Format in Video Settings from Original to Fixed Aspect Ratio. "Changes the picture size to fit the screen size with the original picture aspect ratio."
XXX: SOTU feature now plays fine with black bars on each side. Also tested The Mummy Returns, King of Queens, Three Stooges. All OK. Dog Whisperer Season 2 and 3. Both are wide-screen, but non-anamorphic, so the picture is small with black borders on top and bottom as well as the sides (you can still zoom it with the TV). Season 4 is wide-screen, anamorphic and filled the screen as it should.
[7/25/12] I don't know if this is the same problem, but when I play my DVR-R recordings of widescreen, the aspect ratio is fine when I play it on the TV via HDMI (though the whole picture is shrunk, so I zoom it). But when playing it via the composite connection, when I zoom it, it just zooms vertically to fill the top and bottom bars, but the side bars remain. So the picture looks squeezed from the sides.
Popping in my Armageddon, the picture now looks fine in full mode on the TV. [Actually the picture looks pretty good - the Blu-Ray must be automatically upscaling] Though the sub-titles are still cut off.
Setting the Blu-Ray player from fixed aspect ratio to original. And back to Dogs In The City. The picture via HDMI now looks stretched horizontally. But via composite, the 4:3 and zoom modes look in proportion.
Putting back in Armageddon. The picture still looks stretched vertically in zoom mode. OK, I dunno. I guess I'll have to work it on a case-by-case basis. Between full and zoom. And between original and fixed aspect ratio.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
WTH Oceanic DVR?
I just took a look at the shows recorded on my Oceanic DVR. Only three are left!
Somehow they all got set to erase after a certain amount of days and those older than a couple of weeks are gone!
And the option to change the save time of the recorded ones is gone (at least I don't see it now).
I'm pissed, err I mean somewhat upset... Well good thing I recorded most of the ones I wanted to keep already.
***
OK, now I see the option to change save time. Select the show and the option is two above Play. (The option is missing for the show currently being played.) It's like I turned on the option to auto-erase without realizing it. I'll blame it on myself this time, unless I see a bunch of other complaints around this time.
I still think the box reset and the settings changed. The power did get unplugged this morning.
Looking more. Turning on auto-erase shouldn't have erased the shows that were set to do not erase. So I'm back to blaming Oceanic.
***
Hey cool. I see it's possible to upgrade your DVR (this model anyway) by plugging in an external hard drive.
Somehow they all got set to erase after a certain amount of days and those older than a couple of weeks are gone!
And the option to change the save time of the recorded ones is gone (at least I don't see it now).
I'm pissed, err I mean somewhat upset... Well good thing I recorded most of the ones I wanted to keep already.
***
OK, now I see the option to change save time. Select the show and the option is two above Play. (The option is missing for the show currently being played.) It's like I turned on the option to auto-erase without realizing it. I'll blame it on myself this time, unless I see a bunch of other complaints around this time.
I still think the box reset and the settings changed. The power did get unplugged this morning.
Looking more. Turning on auto-erase shouldn't have erased the shows that were set to do not erase. So I'm back to blaming Oceanic.
***
Hey cool. I see it's possible to upgrade your DVR (this model anyway) by plugging in an external hard drive.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Watson wins on Jeopardy (baby)
Machines first out-calculated us in simple math. Then they replaced us on the assembly lines, explored places we couldn't get to, even beat our champions at chess. Now a computer called Watson has bested our best at "Jeopardy!"
A gigantic computer created by IBM specifically to excel at answers-and-questions left two champs of the TV game show in its silicon dust after a three-day tournament, a feat that experts call a technological breakthrough.
Watson earned $77,147, versus $24,000 for Ken Jennings and $21,600 for Brad Rutter. Jennings took it in stride writing "I for one welcome our new computer overlords" alongside his correct Final Jeopardy answer.
***
I was watched the end of it today. Actually it seemed that Jennings and Rutter knew the answers too (hey if I knew some of the answers, I know they did), but that the machine beat them to the buzzer. You could see the frustration especially with Jennings tapping the buzzer with his thumb.
So of course the computer is going to be faster than the human. It would have been a lot closer if all of them were allowed to answer the questions instead of making it a reflex contest.
Actually thinking about it from that perspective, it was kind of amazing that the humans did as well as they did.
A gigantic computer created by IBM specifically to excel at answers-and-questions left two champs of the TV game show in its silicon dust after a three-day tournament, a feat that experts call a technological breakthrough.
Watson earned $77,147, versus $24,000 for Ken Jennings and $21,600 for Brad Rutter. Jennings took it in stride writing "I for one welcome our new computer overlords" alongside his correct Final Jeopardy answer.
***
I was watched the end of it today. Actually it seemed that Jennings and Rutter knew the answers too (hey if I knew some of the answers, I know they did), but that the machine beat them to the buzzer. You could see the frustration especially with Jennings tapping the buzzer with his thumb.
So of course the computer is going to be faster than the human. It would have been a lot closer if all of them were allowed to answer the questions instead of making it a reflex contest.
Actually thinking about it from that perspective, it was kind of amazing that the humans did as well as they did.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
recycle your bottles
Reynolds Recycling, one of the state's largest recyclers of deposit beverage containers, has begun accepting and paying for glass containers not marked HI-5 now that the city is paying recyclers more for handling nondeposit glass.
Reynolds will pay 4 cents a pound for nondeposit, clean, empty, unbroken glass bottles and jars at any of its 33 Oahu redemption centers. That goes for everything from wine and hard-liquor bottles to jelly and cosmetic jars.
A champagne bottle weighs about 2 pounds, and an average wine bottle about 1.6 pounds.
Reynolds will pay 4 cents a pound for nondeposit, clean, empty, unbroken glass bottles and jars at any of its 33 Oahu redemption centers. That goes for everything from wine and hard-liquor bottles to jelly and cosmetic jars.
A champagne bottle weighs about 2 pounds, and an average wine bottle about 1.6 pounds.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
power, then no power, then power, etc.
Here's an odd one.
I took home Florida's computer which they said wouldn't boot. I plugged it in and as I soon as I plugged in the power cord the thing powered up! (Didn't press the power button.)
So all seemed well. I then saw the thing had only 256MB of memory. It turns out it took DDR memory and I found I had a 128MB module available and inserted it.
Plug everything back in and no power! OK, now I see their problem.
Remove the added memory. Still no power.
OK, unplug it. And put back the other computer.
A day or so later, I try plugging it in again and it worked!
OK, try shut down. Pull out the power cord. Wait a couple of minutes. Plug in the power cord again. Doesn't power up again!
Dunno. Maybe it's the power supply?
I guess I can try put in another. Or just wait until the next day and try again.
Stay tuned..
I took home Florida's computer which they said wouldn't boot. I plugged it in and as I soon as I plugged in the power cord the thing powered up! (Didn't press the power button.)
So all seemed well. I then saw the thing had only 256MB of memory. It turns out it took DDR memory and I found I had a 128MB module available and inserted it.
Plug everything back in and no power! OK, now I see their problem.
Remove the added memory. Still no power.
OK, unplug it. And put back the other computer.
A day or so later, I try plugging it in again and it worked!
OK, try shut down. Pull out the power cord. Wait a couple of minutes. Plug in the power cord again. Doesn't power up again!
Dunno. Maybe it's the power supply?
I guess I can try put in another. Or just wait until the next day and try again.
Stay tuned..
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
looking for memory for slow computer
I notice computers running slower and slower these days. Including my own.
They still run into performance problems even after I reinstall Windows (usually XP), though it seems better for a while.
I think the problem was that these computers used to be acceptably fast when they first came out, but that Microsoft kept putting more and more junk into XP so that it taxes the system and it starts to run out of memory (and so goes to the hard drive to use virtual memory). That's my guess anyway.
So now I'm looking to upgrade memory.
A "standard" site to buy memory from seems to be crucial.com. They have a neat system scanner that scans your system, tells you what you have in your system, and makes recommendations on what to buy.
For example, my current system is a Dell Dimension 2400 with two memory modules (one 256MB and one 128MB, both DDR 2700). According to the scanner, "Each memory slot can hold DDR PC2700, DDR PC3200 with a maximum of 1GB per slot." That's good to know.
What's the difference between PC2700 and PC3200? (Shows you how out of touch I am these days.) The speed. PC3200 is the faster speed with peak transfer rate of 3200MB per second.
Let's see. Crucial is selling the 1GB module for $46.99.
[a couple days later -- actually the key to notice is DDR which stands for Double-Data Rate. I now see it's different than the old SIMMs. I assume the old SIMMs must be SDRAM (single data rate) See below.]
On ebay, I see two 512MB modules for $23.88. Only PC2100 DDR. Hey half price. 2GB for $54.48. Darn, free shipping only to 48 states.
OK, ramhut sells 1GB PC2700 for $38.95. $34.90 starting bid. I dunno. I might spring for the extra $8 and buy from Crucial.
deedan92: two 512MB modules for $24.88 (used).
fsgw: PC3200 1GB DDR SDRAM 1 GB PC 3200 DDR400 1G RAM 184 pin for $14.99 plus $6.99 shipping. So $21.98. Doesn't state compatibility though.
***
[1/20] Looking to pop in more memory into Florida's computer which has only 256MB. I notice it takes DDR memory too. I found a 128MB DDR module (I think from Tanaka) and I notice it's physically different from the myriad other SIMMs that I have lying around. OK, so much for upgrading all these computers. [Ugh, popped it in anyway and now Florida's computer doesn't power up. I guess that was the original problem.]
They still run into performance problems even after I reinstall Windows (usually XP), though it seems better for a while.
I think the problem was that these computers used to be acceptably fast when they first came out, but that Microsoft kept putting more and more junk into XP so that it taxes the system and it starts to run out of memory (and so goes to the hard drive to use virtual memory). That's my guess anyway.
So now I'm looking to upgrade memory.
A "standard" site to buy memory from seems to be crucial.com. They have a neat system scanner that scans your system, tells you what you have in your system, and makes recommendations on what to buy.
For example, my current system is a Dell Dimension 2400 with two memory modules (one 256MB and one 128MB, both DDR 2700). According to the scanner, "Each memory slot can hold DDR PC2700, DDR PC3200 with a maximum of 1GB per slot." That's good to know.
What's the difference between PC2700 and PC3200? (Shows you how out of touch I am these days.) The speed. PC3200 is the faster speed with peak transfer rate of 3200MB per second.
Let's see. Crucial is selling the 1GB module for $46.99.
[a couple days later -- actually the key to notice is DDR which stands for Double-Data Rate. I now see it's different than the old SIMMs. I assume the old SIMMs must be SDRAM (single data rate) See below.]
On ebay, I see two 512MB modules for $23.88. Only PC2100 DDR. Hey half price. 2GB for $54.48. Darn, free shipping only to 48 states.
OK, ramhut sells 1GB PC2700 for $38.95. $34.90 starting bid. I dunno. I might spring for the extra $8 and buy from Crucial.
deedan92: two 512MB modules for $24.88 (used).
fsgw: PC3200 1GB DDR SDRAM 1 GB PC 3200 DDR400 1G RAM 184 pin for $14.99 plus $6.99 shipping. So $21.98. Doesn't state compatibility though.
***
[1/20] Looking to pop in more memory into Florida's computer which has only 256MB. I notice it takes DDR memory too. I found a 128MB DDR module (I think from Tanaka) and I notice it's physically different from the myriad other SIMMs that I have lying around. OK, so much for upgrading all these computers. [Ugh, popped it in anyway and now Florida's computer doesn't power up. I guess that was the original problem.]
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Steve Jobs to take another medical leave
Steve Jobs, the iconic chief executive of Apple who has battled serious health problems for years, said Monday that he is taking another medical leave of absence, raising questions about whether the country's most highly valued technology company can prosper without its leader.
The announcement that the creator of the iPod, iPhone and iPad would step aside - without revealing the extent of his medical problems or how long he'll be on leave - prompted criticism from some analysts that Apple was betraying its obligations to tell its shareholders important information.
Jobs, a survivor of pancreatic cancer and recipient of a liver transplant, two conditions known to cause a variety of complications, sent a message to Apple employees Monday saying that the company's board "granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health." He added that he would continue to be involved in major decisions but would give up day-to-day control.
Since founding Apple in 1976, Jobs has been known for a nearly fanatical attention to detail - caring as much about the appearance of his products as how they function - that makes him unique among many technology executives.
He has fostered a culture at Apple that has allowed the company, which was months from bankruptcy in 1997 when he returned to the helm after a long hiatus, to edge out bigger rivals and dominate the market for smartphones and music players.
The announcement that the creator of the iPod, iPhone and iPad would step aside - without revealing the extent of his medical problems or how long he'll be on leave - prompted criticism from some analysts that Apple was betraying its obligations to tell its shareholders important information.
Jobs, a survivor of pancreatic cancer and recipient of a liver transplant, two conditions known to cause a variety of complications, sent a message to Apple employees Monday saying that the company's board "granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health." He added that he would continue to be involved in major decisions but would give up day-to-day control.
Since founding Apple in 1976, Jobs has been known for a nearly fanatical attention to detail - caring as much about the appearance of his products as how they function - that makes him unique among many technology executives.
He has fostered a culture at Apple that has allowed the company, which was months from bankruptcy in 1997 when he returned to the helm after a long hiatus, to edge out bigger rivals and dominate the market for smartphones and music players.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
hitman pro
adding another item to my toolbox
was getting redirects on google searches (among other problems) even after running malwarebytes. Microsoft Security Essentials was terminating before completion.
Found hitman pro from this thread
cleared up the redirect problem (and other problems as well including the MSE problem).
However there was still one particularly stubborn file that hitman identified as malware but couldn't delete even on reboot.
Tried deleting manually from safe mode with no success.
Finally tried moveonboot and moved it to another folder (probabably could have deleted it too, but I wanted to have a sample of it around - but come to think of it, that probably was not a good idea).
was getting redirects on google searches (among other problems) even after running malwarebytes. Microsoft Security Essentials was terminating before completion.
Found hitman pro from this thread
cleared up the redirect problem (and other problems as well including the MSE problem).
However there was still one particularly stubborn file that hitman identified as malware but couldn't delete even on reboot.
Tried deleting manually from safe mode with no success.
Finally tried moveonboot and moved it to another folder (probabably could have deleted it too, but I wanted to have a sample of it around - but come to think of it, that probably was not a good idea).
Thursday, December 02, 2010
uninstalling AVG
Arlene had WinDefragmenter infecting her computer.
Did the usual. Boot to safe mode, install/update MBAM and run. It found a couple of things, but WinDefragmenter was still there.
Decided to do a system restore, which brought the system back before it was infected.
But then I noticed that AVG had errors. Anti-Rootkit driver not found, Identity Protection disabled. The fix button brought up another error message.
Tried uninstalling, but that brought up error code: 0xC0070643. Removal of product failed.
Tried running the install file with the repair option, but the errors will still there on AVG.
Tried cleaning the registry with ccleaner.
Then tried another AVG install (add/remove components: unchecked all)
Still got the error code with error message: general internal error, additional message: MSI engine: fialed to install the product, context: AVG product installation
Looked up the error code on google, and got to this computing.net page which led to AVG's remover tool.
just to see, went to safe mode
ran malwarebytes, found nothing.
tried AVG repair: error
then ran the AVG remover
It took a while but it finally finished
rebooted
AVG seemed gone, but Security Center reported it was still there!
OK, install AVG again
this time all the options were active incluing the Anti-Rootkit and Identity Protection.
The databases got updated and everything seemed OK now.
So finally got AVG running, but I still didn't want it.
reboot
uninstall
uninstall finished. Hey uninstall seemed to work this gime.
reboot and install MSE which is the program I really wanted to put on
got the error message: can't complete the Microsoft Security Essentials Setup Wizard. Another Windows Installer is already running on your computer
pleas close the other program or restart your computer and try running the Microsoft Security Essentials Wizard again. error code: 0x8004FF00
The googled fix was to run the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility, but "
While the Windows Installer Cleanup utility resolved some installation problems, it sometimes damaged other components installed on the computer. Because of this, the tool has been removed from the Microsoft Download Center."
OK, let's try run the AVG remover again.
And since M.S.E. suggest removing other anti-virus programs, I uninstalled SuperAntiSpyware
boot to safe mode, but MSE setup can't run from safe mode.
reboot. hey somehow it installed this time.
update worked too.
I should quit while I'm ahead.
Did the usual. Boot to safe mode, install/update MBAM and run. It found a couple of things, but WinDefragmenter was still there.
Decided to do a system restore, which brought the system back before it was infected.
But then I noticed that AVG had errors. Anti-Rootkit driver not found, Identity Protection disabled. The fix button brought up another error message.
Tried uninstalling, but that brought up error code: 0xC0070643. Removal of product failed.
Tried running the install file with the repair option, but the errors will still there on AVG.
Tried cleaning the registry with ccleaner.
Then tried another AVG install (add/remove components: unchecked all)
Still got the error code with error message: general internal error, additional message: MSI engine: fialed to install the product, context: AVG product installation
Looked up the error code on google, and got to this computing.net page which led to AVG's remover tool.
just to see, went to safe mode
ran malwarebytes, found nothing.
tried AVG repair: error
then ran the AVG remover
It took a while but it finally finished
rebooted
AVG seemed gone, but Security Center reported it was still there!
OK, install AVG again
this time all the options were active incluing the Anti-Rootkit and Identity Protection.
The databases got updated and everything seemed OK now.
So finally got AVG running, but I still didn't want it.
reboot
uninstall
uninstall finished. Hey uninstall seemed to work this gime.
reboot and install MSE which is the program I really wanted to put on
got the error message: can't complete the Microsoft Security Essentials Setup Wizard. Another Windows Installer is already running on your computer
pleas close the other program or restart your computer and try running the Microsoft Security Essentials Wizard again. error code: 0x8004FF00
The googled fix was to run the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility, but "
While the Windows Installer Cleanup utility resolved some installation problems, it sometimes damaged other components installed on the computer. Because of this, the tool has been removed from the Microsoft Download Center."
OK, let's try run the AVG remover again.
And since M.S.E. suggest removing other anti-virus programs, I uninstalled SuperAntiSpyware
boot to safe mode, but MSE setup can't run from safe mode.
reboot. hey somehow it installed this time.
update worked too.
I should quit while I'm ahead.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Motorola Talkabout T5030R
I picked up this 2-way radio (walkie-talkie) from Radio Shack so my mom could communicate with me in case I'm not in the same room.
At first, I bought the FV300 because it was cheaper, but decided to return it because the T5030R was bigger and brighter so I thought my mom would be able to find it better. Plus the T5030R was rechargeable and used AA batteries (which I have a lot of) vs. AAA batteries for the FV300.
I guess it works OK, but there are a few things I don't like about it. One is the talk button is a bit hard to press and keep depressed. Second the charge on the battery doesn't last all that long if you intend to leave it on for half the day. And third, my mom has problems figuring out what button to press (or even seeing the button apparently) as they are a little small and kind of blend in with the face plate. I'm winding up using the AA batteries instead of the rechargeable battery.
It makes me wonder if I would have been better off with the FV300 or even one of those Cobra ones from Toys R Us (though now I see they get crappy reviews).
I wound up letting my mom use my old Motorola FR50 which has the call button right in the center of the unit. I would have not needed to buy the T5030R, but only one of the FR50 units still work.
The FR50 can call the T5030R fine, as long as the interference eliminator code is set to 0. The FR50 can talk to the T5030R, but the T5030R can't talk to the FR50 on every channel. So far, I've found that channel 7 works. Hmm. Now it seems the other channels are working. I dunno.
And now, after charging one of the batteries all day, it's still dead. Guess I'll be using up the AA batteries.
One thing in favor of the T5030R, the battery compartment is sure a lot easier to open than the FR50.
At first, I bought the FV300 because it was cheaper, but decided to return it because the T5030R was bigger and brighter so I thought my mom would be able to find it better. Plus the T5030R was rechargeable and used AA batteries (which I have a lot of) vs. AAA batteries for the FV300.
I guess it works OK, but there are a few things I don't like about it. One is the talk button is a bit hard to press and keep depressed. Second the charge on the battery doesn't last all that long if you intend to leave it on for half the day. And third, my mom has problems figuring out what button to press (or even seeing the button apparently) as they are a little small and kind of blend in with the face plate. I'm winding up using the AA batteries instead of the rechargeable battery.
It makes me wonder if I would have been better off with the FV300 or even one of those Cobra ones from Toys R Us (though now I see they get crappy reviews).
I wound up letting my mom use my old Motorola FR50 which has the call button right in the center of the unit. I would have not needed to buy the T5030R, but only one of the FR50 units still work.
The FR50 can call the T5030R fine, as long as the interference eliminator code is set to 0. The FR50 can talk to the T5030R, but the T5030R can't talk to the FR50 on every channel. So far, I've found that channel 7 works. Hmm. Now it seems the other channels are working. I dunno.
And now, after charging one of the batteries all day, it's still dead. Guess I'll be using up the AA batteries.
One thing in favor of the T5030R, the battery compartment is sure a lot easier to open than the FR50.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
light anti-virus programs?
I'm using a machine that has only 384MB. And now working on a laptop that has like 228MB (or something like that).
I'm wondering what anti-virus program I should use to put on these machines that won't hog the precious resources (I know, I should actually increase the memory but..)
Anyway, I found this page via Yahoo (via this google search) that answers the question better than I could.
The conclusion?
If I would to compare between the few giant antivirus brands such as Avast, Avira, Norton and Kaspersky, I’d say that Avast is the lightest of all.
That's a little disappointing because I use Avast on my 384MB machine and it often thrashes to memory when running firefox.
Well, let me run a compare on the laptop which currently has AVG 8.5 installed.
I'm wondering what anti-virus program I should use to put on these machines that won't hog the precious resources (I know, I should actually increase the memory but..)
Anyway, I found this page via Yahoo (via this google search) that answers the question better than I could.
The conclusion?
If I would to compare between the few giant antivirus brands such as Avast, Avira, Norton and Kaspersky, I’d say that Avast is the lightest of all.
That's a little disappointing because I use Avast on my 384MB machine and it often thrashes to memory when running firefox.
Well, let me run a compare on the laptop which currently has AVG 8.5 installed.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Google Instant
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google Inc. stepped on its Internet search accelerator Wednesday by adding a feature that displays results as soon as people begin typing their requests.
The change, called "Google Instant," is the closest the 12-year-old company has come yet to realizing its founders' ambition to build a search engine that reads its users' minds.
The achievement wasn't lost on Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who jokingly told reporters that the company's lightning-quick computers are morphing into the "other third" of people's brains.
"I think it's a little bit of a new dawn in computing," Brin said Wednesday.
The shift means Google users will begin to see an ever-evolving set of search results appearing on their computer screens, potentially changing with each additional character typed. That means a satisfactory set of results could take just one keystroke. As an example, a person who types "w" in Google's search box could see the weather results in the same area as where the request was entered.
Google will also try to predict what a person really wants by filling out the anticipated search terms in gray letters. Below that, in a drop-down box, Google will still offer other suggested search requests, as the site has been offering for the past two years.
The change, called "Google Instant," is the closest the 12-year-old company has come yet to realizing its founders' ambition to build a search engine that reads its users' minds.
The achievement wasn't lost on Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who jokingly told reporters that the company's lightning-quick computers are morphing into the "other third" of people's brains.
"I think it's a little bit of a new dawn in computing," Brin said Wednesday.
The shift means Google users will begin to see an ever-evolving set of search results appearing on their computer screens, potentially changing with each additional character typed. That means a satisfactory set of results could take just one keystroke. As an example, a person who types "w" in Google's search box could see the weather results in the same area as where the request was entered.
Google will also try to predict what a person really wants by filling out the anticipated search terms in gray letters. Below that, in a drop-down box, Google will still offer other suggested search requests, as the site has been offering for the past two years.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
cancer vaccine research progressing
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The vaccine that Larry Mathews is getting won't protect him from the flu. That's OK — the stakes are far higher than that.
He's hoping the shots will prime his immune system to fight the aggressive cancer that has invaded his brain. If it works as he wants it to, his body's own killer cells will mop up malignant cells that surgery, radiation and chemotherapy couldn't eliminate.
For decades, scientists have been trying to create vaccines like this to recruit the body's immune system to destroy cancer cells the way it wipes out foreign viruses and bacteria.
After many false starts and premature promises, it appears that their research is beginning to pay off.
In late April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first cancer vaccine, Provenge, that can modestly extend the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer. Several major insurance plans and Medicare claims processors in some parts of the country, including Kansas and Missouri, already have agreed to pay for the costly treatment.
Mathews is taking part in a preliminary clinical study at St. Luke's Hospital on a brain cancer vaccine developed at the University of Kansas Medical Center. A larger two-year study aimed at gaining FDA approval is planned to start this fall.
Worldwide, scientists are working on dozens of vaccines against melanoma, breast cancer and cancers of the lung, colon and pancreas.
Researchers can cite anecdotes of cancer patients given months to live who have survived 15 years or longer after receiving vaccines. But so far, conclusive evidence from large clinical trials is scant.
Even so, experts anticipate that several cancer vaccines could prove effective enough to gain FDA approval in the next four or five years.
The goal for vaccines is to train the immune system to recognize ways that cancer cells differ from normal cells and motivate it to attack.
By trial and error scientists have identified targets on cancer cells, called antigens, that the immune system can identify as different from normal cells. They also better understand components of the immune system that recognize antigens and alert the immune system's killer cells.
Vaccines represent a major shift in thinking about how to treat cancer, said James Gulley, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute. Conventional cancer therapies aim toxic drugs and radiation at tumors, but can harm other tissues and cause nausea, fatigue, hair loss and other side effects.
Vaccines narrowly target the immune system. Side effects — fever, chills, soreness at the injection site — typically aren't much greater than what you may get from a flu shot. But getting vaccinated can take much longer than a flu shot.
He's hoping the shots will prime his immune system to fight the aggressive cancer that has invaded his brain. If it works as he wants it to, his body's own killer cells will mop up malignant cells that surgery, radiation and chemotherapy couldn't eliminate.
For decades, scientists have been trying to create vaccines like this to recruit the body's immune system to destroy cancer cells the way it wipes out foreign viruses and bacteria.
After many false starts and premature promises, it appears that their research is beginning to pay off.
In late April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first cancer vaccine, Provenge, that can modestly extend the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer. Several major insurance plans and Medicare claims processors in some parts of the country, including Kansas and Missouri, already have agreed to pay for the costly treatment.
Mathews is taking part in a preliminary clinical study at St. Luke's Hospital on a brain cancer vaccine developed at the University of Kansas Medical Center. A larger two-year study aimed at gaining FDA approval is planned to start this fall.
Worldwide, scientists are working on dozens of vaccines against melanoma, breast cancer and cancers of the lung, colon and pancreas.
Researchers can cite anecdotes of cancer patients given months to live who have survived 15 years or longer after receiving vaccines. But so far, conclusive evidence from large clinical trials is scant.
Even so, experts anticipate that several cancer vaccines could prove effective enough to gain FDA approval in the next four or five years.
The goal for vaccines is to train the immune system to recognize ways that cancer cells differ from normal cells and motivate it to attack.
By trial and error scientists have identified targets on cancer cells, called antigens, that the immune system can identify as different from normal cells. They also better understand components of the immune system that recognize antigens and alert the immune system's killer cells.
Vaccines represent a major shift in thinking about how to treat cancer, said James Gulley, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute. Conventional cancer therapies aim toxic drugs and radiation at tumors, but can harm other tissues and cause nausea, fatigue, hair loss and other side effects.
Vaccines narrowly target the immune system. Side effects — fever, chills, soreness at the injection site — typically aren't much greater than what you may get from a flu shot. But getting vaccinated can take much longer than a flu shot.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
anamorphic or not anamorphic?
Now that I have my widescreen TV, I'm having a penchant on seeing how my DVDs look on it.
Some of them didn't look very good at first because I had my DVD player still set up to 4:3 and when the TV zoomed the picture it wasn't very clear. Now that I have set it to 16:9, they look better (if not really good).
I have a few that are non-anamorphic that don't look that great when zoomed (or in "full" mode), so I actually prefer watching some of these unzoomed.
I don't know if this applies to every single DVD, but so far the way I figure out if a DVD is anamorphic, is that the picture looks squished vertically (black bars on sides) when Wide Mode is Normal. When I switch Wide Mode to Full, then the picture uncompresses and the black bars on the sides disappear. The height of the picture remains the same.
If the DVD is non-anamorphic (or full screen), the picture looks in proportion in Normal setting.
I have a few DVDs that even though they're anamorphic, the picture looks a little too blurry in full mode and I actually like to watch these with the picture a little smaller with the borders all around. (Or maybe it's just my eyes.)
With an non-anamorphic DVD, you do this by just watching in Normal mode. With an anamorphic DVD, you can do it by setting the DVD player to 4:3 with the TV in Normal mode.
I assume none of this rigmarole is needed with a Blu-Ray disc.
***
So far I have found the following DVDs are non-anamorphic:
Wing Chun (Tai Seng, HK Legends version is anamorphic, come on Dragon Dynasty?, wow selling used for $59.85 on amazon.)
Mortal Kombat (which also looks really dark, Blu-Ray release 8/31/10 in Canada)
Armageddon (Criterion edition) but looks pretty decent from a distance
WarGames (the 25th Anniversary edition is anamorphic)<!-8/26/10-->
Fist of Legend (Dimension) / Dragon Dynasty version is anamorphic <!- 8/26/10 -->
Enemy of the State / there's a newer special edition that is anamorphic / I was watching it because it was on FX earlier that day. I noticed the actress that played Will Smith's wife, Regina King, looks like Michelle Obama (or vice-versa) especially with the similar hair-do. Also in the movie, Scott Caan now of Hawaii Five-O fame. I see he was also in the Ocean's Eleven, etc. films. I never noticed. I also notice that this came out the same year (all the way back in 1998) as another Bruckheimer production, Armageddon (see above) <!- 11/5/10 -->
[4/10/11] My latest non-anamorphic DVD, Die Hard 2. Picked this up from Blockbuster Salt Lake which is going out of business. Well, I guess it's viewable assuming you don't mind watching it as a smaller picture on 4:3. Or zooming it with the bottom half of the subtitles off the screen. Good thing it was only 90 cents. Checked my copy of Die Hard. It's anamorphic, so it's the later version. [swapped it on swapadvd]
[9/5/11] Since Army of Darkness happened to be on Spike-TV, I dug out my Army of Darkness DVDs. The old Universal version is wide-screen, non-anamorphic. The old Anchor Bay version has both full-screen and wide-screen presentations and is anamorphic. The Anchor Bay bootleg edition is wide-screen only and is anamorphic.
The advantage of Universal version (the one with the chainsaw cover) is that it has sub-titles. I think that's why I bought it. The advantage of the old Anchor Bay version (the one with skeletons on the cover) is that it contains a behind-the-scenes featurette). The advantage of the "Official Bootleg Edition" (the cover looks like a paper bag) is that it has commentary from Bruce Campbell and Sam & Ivan Raimi) and includes footage that was later edited out. The Anchor Bay versions also include the original ending (I think as an extra in the old version).
Looking at AOD DVD fanatic webpage, I have the first, third, and fifth DVD's mentioned. The latest DVD version mentioned was from early 2003. So no mention of the Blu-Ray version. The Blu-Ray "Screwhead Edition" would evidently give the best picture available along with the sub-titles. Maybe that'll be my next purchase (or swap).
***
[9/1/10] Hooked up my Toshiba DVD-Recorder to the Sony TV via HDMI (the first time I've ever used the HDMI cable, since I never had an HDMI display device before). The DVDs seemed to looked even sharper (from a distance, looks pretty block up close) and seemingly less strain on my sensitive eyes.
Tried a non-anamorphic DVD and couldn't it get in the right proportion - looks too fat. Discovered that I have to change the resolution to 480p on DVD player. Any signal 720 or higher and the Sony interprets it as a 16:9 signal and stretches the signal. Either that or the DVD player is stretching it to 16:9. Same thing for full frame DVDs too.
... Found the solution. Need to set the HDMI mode on the DVD player to 480p [press the HDMI button on the remote and the setting changes on the little DVD player display]. The TV then interprets it as a 4:3 signal.
So I tried that with my non-anamorphic Armageddon Criterion edition. The picture had borders all around, so I had the TV zoom it. Looked pretty decent while sitting far away. Not that good when looking close. But that's pretty much true of all standard-def DVDs on a big screen TV. [2/28/11 - trying it now on my Panasonic plasma. The picture actually looks pretty decent. I think this TV does a better job upscaling SD pictures.]
***
[9/20/10] Here's a problem I noted when playing back my Three Stooges volume 6 DVD on my Toshiba DVD-Recorder on my new Panasonic 42" Plasma. When I play it via the HDMI interface, the picture plays back on full mode with the edges of the screen stretched to the edge of the screen. So the picture is out of proportion. However when I change the TV format to 4:3 the picture just cuts off the edges to 4:3 so the picture is still out of proportion, just cut off. Oddly when I play it back via the composite interface on 4:3, the picture shrinks to the proper proportion rather than cut off. Well I suppose any 4:3 picture would be non-anamorphic and not hi-def anyway. And they assume that anything played through the HDMI wouldn't be 4:3. Which very simply is just plain wrong.
I'm wondering though if it's a problem with my DVD recorder or the TV.
The four screen format modes are explained here. But no mention of the cut-off problem.
Wait, I just read what I wrote in the previous entry (on 9/1/10). OK, try setting 480p on the DVD player. (So it looks like a "problem" with the DVD player, not the TV.)
Some of them didn't look very good at first because I had my DVD player still set up to 4:3 and when the TV zoomed the picture it wasn't very clear. Now that I have set it to 16:9, they look better (if not really good).
I have a few that are non-anamorphic that don't look that great when zoomed (or in "full" mode), so I actually prefer watching some of these unzoomed.
I don't know if this applies to every single DVD, but so far the way I figure out if a DVD is anamorphic, is that the picture looks squished vertically (black bars on sides) when Wide Mode is Normal. When I switch Wide Mode to Full, then the picture uncompresses and the black bars on the sides disappear. The height of the picture remains the same.
If the DVD is non-anamorphic (or full screen), the picture looks in proportion in Normal setting.
I have a few DVDs that even though they're anamorphic, the picture looks a little too blurry in full mode and I actually like to watch these with the picture a little smaller with the borders all around. (Or maybe it's just my eyes.)
With an non-anamorphic DVD, you do this by just watching in Normal mode. With an anamorphic DVD, you can do it by setting the DVD player to 4:3 with the TV in Normal mode.
I assume none of this rigmarole is needed with a Blu-Ray disc.
***
So far I have found the following DVDs are non-anamorphic:
Wing Chun (Tai Seng, HK Legends version is anamorphic, come on Dragon Dynasty?, wow selling used for $59.85 on amazon.)
Mortal Kombat (which also looks really dark, Blu-Ray release 8/31/10 in Canada)
Armageddon (Criterion edition) but looks pretty decent from a distance
WarGames (the 25th Anniversary edition is anamorphic)<!-8/26/10-->
Fist of Legend (Dimension) / Dragon Dynasty version is anamorphic <!- 8/26/10 -->
Enemy of the State / there's a newer special edition that is anamorphic / I was watching it because it was on FX earlier that day. I noticed the actress that played Will Smith's wife, Regina King, looks like Michelle Obama (or vice-versa) especially with the similar hair-do. Also in the movie, Scott Caan now of Hawaii Five-O fame. I see he was also in the Ocean's Eleven, etc. films. I never noticed. I also notice that this came out the same year (all the way back in 1998) as another Bruckheimer production, Armageddon (see above) <!- 11/5/10 -->
[4/10/11] My latest non-anamorphic DVD, Die Hard 2. Picked this up from Blockbuster Salt Lake which is going out of business. Well, I guess it's viewable assuming you don't mind watching it as a smaller picture on 4:3. Or zooming it with the bottom half of the subtitles off the screen. Good thing it was only 90 cents. Checked my copy of Die Hard. It's anamorphic, so it's the later version. [swapped it on swapadvd]
[9/5/11] Since Army of Darkness happened to be on Spike-TV, I dug out my Army of Darkness DVDs. The old Universal version is wide-screen, non-anamorphic. The old Anchor Bay version has both full-screen and wide-screen presentations and is anamorphic. The Anchor Bay bootleg edition is wide-screen only and is anamorphic.
The advantage of Universal version (the one with the chainsaw cover) is that it has sub-titles. I think that's why I bought it. The advantage of the old Anchor Bay version (the one with skeletons on the cover) is that it contains a behind-the-scenes featurette). The advantage of the "Official Bootleg Edition" (the cover looks like a paper bag) is that it has commentary from Bruce Campbell and Sam & Ivan Raimi) and includes footage that was later edited out. The Anchor Bay versions also include the original ending (I think as an extra in the old version).
Looking at AOD DVD fanatic webpage, I have the first, third, and fifth DVD's mentioned. The latest DVD version mentioned was from early 2003. So no mention of the Blu-Ray version. The Blu-Ray "Screwhead Edition" would evidently give the best picture available along with the sub-titles. Maybe that'll be my next purchase (or swap).
***
[9/1/10] Hooked up my Toshiba DVD-Recorder to the Sony TV via HDMI (the first time I've ever used the HDMI cable, since I never had an HDMI display device before). The DVDs seemed to looked even sharper (from a distance, looks pretty block up close) and seemingly less strain on my sensitive eyes.
Tried a non-anamorphic DVD and couldn't it get in the right proportion - looks too fat. Discovered that I have to change the resolution to 480p on DVD player. Any signal 720 or higher and the Sony interprets it as a 16:9 signal and stretches the signal. Either that or the DVD player is stretching it to 16:9. Same thing for full frame DVDs too.
... Found the solution. Need to set the HDMI mode on the DVD player to 480p [press the HDMI button on the remote and the setting changes on the little DVD player display]. The TV then interprets it as a 4:3 signal.
So I tried that with my non-anamorphic Armageddon Criterion edition. The picture had borders all around, so I had the TV zoom it. Looked pretty decent while sitting far away. Not that good when looking close. But that's pretty much true of all standard-def DVDs on a big screen TV. [2/28/11 - trying it now on my Panasonic plasma. The picture actually looks pretty decent. I think this TV does a better job upscaling SD pictures.]
***
[9/20/10] Here's a problem I noted when playing back my Three Stooges volume 6 DVD on my Toshiba DVD-Recorder on my new Panasonic 42" Plasma. When I play it via the HDMI interface, the picture plays back on full mode with the edges of the screen stretched to the edge of the screen. So the picture is out of proportion. However when I change the TV format to 4:3 the picture just cuts off the edges to 4:3 so the picture is still out of proportion, just cut off. Oddly when I play it back via the composite interface on 4:3, the picture shrinks to the proper proportion rather than cut off. Well I suppose any 4:3 picture would be non-anamorphic and not hi-def anyway. And they assume that anything played through the HDMI wouldn't be 4:3. Which very simply is just plain wrong.
I'm wondering though if it's a problem with my DVD recorder or the TV.
The four screen format modes are explained here. But no mention of the cut-off problem.
Wait, I just read what I wrote in the previous entry (on 9/1/10). OK, try setting 480p on the DVD player. (So it looks like a "problem" with the DVD player, not the TV.)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
my new HD TV on Oceanic cable
Got rained out at tennis. Wound up at IchiBen with Lori, Cathy, Bob. Somehow I mentioned getting a new TV and we wound at Wal-Mart and I walked out of there with a Sony EX4/40 TV. I was going to get it at Costco, but it was $20 cheaper at Wal-Mart. It was the last one and had a hole in the lower side of the box, but I chanced it.
Bob hooked up the stand but had trouble with the last screw. Turned out the screw was stripped. But it seems to be sturdy enough. Lori put the batteries in the remote. Dunno what Cathy did. I was feeding Kimo.
I wanted the Sony brand because I knew that Sony could catch HD channels on Oceanic without needing a cable box (because I had set Sony's up for BettyN and the Fongs). I know some other brands could too, but I knew of other (Non-Sony) flat screen TVs that could only tune in the analog channels (because I tried them). (Probably because they were older models, but maybe not).
Anyway, cross fingers and auto-tune. It found 26 digital channels, 7 of them in HD (KHON, KITV, KFVE, KGMB, KHNL, KHET, and oddly MSNBC). One good thing about this Sony is it tells you what kind of signal it's picking up. NTSC (analog), digital SD (480i), and hi-def. I was surprised to see it picked up both 720p and 1024i signals.
Here's the digital channels it found after scanning (and what I believe are Oceanic's corresponding digital channels), plus the resolution of the hi-def channels. The non-HD channels are all in 480i.
46.3 KHON HD (1003) 720p
46.4 The CW Network (93)
77.3 NewsChoice (112)
79.1 PBS Kids Hawaii (443)
79.10 Event Prevues (?)
83.3 KHNL HD (1008) 1080i
94.101 Prevues (?) (I briefly got the picture then it blanked out)
94.102 Games? (433?) (there was a game in progress, but later it blanked)
103.250 SURF (250)
103.1107 MSNBC HD (1107) 1080i
112.353 blank?
113.698 New Tang Dynasty (698)
114.2 KITV HD (1006) 720p
116.1 KGMB HD (1007) 1080i
116.4 Digital KIKU (89)
116.5 Digital KBFD (82)
117.3 Digital KHON (none)
117.5 Digital KFVE (85)
117.6 Digital KITV (86)
117.7 Digital KGMB (87)
117.8 Digital KHNL (88)
117.10 Digital KHET (90)
118.1 KFVE HD (1005) 1080i
120.12 KHET HD (1010) 1080i
121.10 Digital HSN (152)
0 SportsChoice (200)
The next day, MSNBC disappears and so does New Tang Dynasty. And the Games and SURF too. On the other hand TEC appears (actually it disappeared later, then reappeared again).
[8/24am] Scan again. REELZ appears. And SURF and the Game channel reappears. Then comes the morning and REELZ and Games disappear, though SURF is still there so far.
Wondering why my so-called anamorphic DVDs don't fill the screen with black bars all around both horizontally and vertically. Light bulb. Set DVD player setting to 16:9 from 4:3. Yeah, much better!
[9/3/10] Ah, here's the official digital lineup from Oceanic. My KHNL HD 83.3 disappeared. I noticed the signal has been spotty in the past and now it's just plain gone. Well, hopefully it'll come back.
[11/11] My latest scan now shows the following channels:
46.3 KHON-HD
118.1 KFVE-HD
116.9 KITV-HD
116.1 KGMB-HD
118.3 KHNL-HD
118.12 KHET-HD
46.1 KPXO-HD
46.4 CW-SD
49.1 OC12-HD
122.11 1420 AM (radio)
***
[9/1/10] Decided to trade in my DVR for a hi-def DVR (Cisco Explorer 8300HD). Was considering cancelling my digital variety pack. But when the lady checked, she said I'm getting a special deal and my cost would actually go up! Well, that's what she said. So I'm keeping it. Got a new remote, though she said the old one would work. But I told her it was kind of worn out. (Some of the buttons, like the pause didn't work well.) So I got a new one. And they gave me an HDMI cable too.
Hooked it up via HDMI. Looks pretty sharp. My eyes still get a little sore, but they used to get sore at my old TV with the color turned up too much (come to think of it). They did get sore watching the 27" flat screen Sony I found on the side of the road. It was a little blue. Maybe it's Sony.
Now considering trading LCD for Plasma. But I dunno. The pros for plasma: viewing angle, motion handling. Pros for LCD: does better in daylight. And I see now that this Sony is "only" 60 Hz.
But every time I think of returning it, I see a nice super-clear, super-sharp, hi-def picture (the Sony does have an awesome hi-def picture) and think wow, how can I give this up? I'm not so impressed with the sharpness of the plasmas I see at the store. But they probably look fine if I'm not too close.
Anyway, couldn't find the code for the remote (which looks like the Atlas OCAP 5) to control the Sony. The code at urcsupport didn't work. So I did a code search and it worked at about the fifth or sixth try. Checking the code, it turns out to be 1-1-0-0.
And, ah, here's how to turn on closed caption when using HDMI (on this box anyway). It's just one of the settings you can access by pressing the settings button on the remote control (couldn't get the on when mute option working though).
[9/3/10] Panic. I was going to compare the HDMI picture with the composite picture on my DVD recorder. But couldn't get a picture on the composite despite some mad swapping of cables, even trying it with my Apex analog TV. I thought the DVD-recorder might have busted. But then I remembered I had set the setting to progressive. I hooked up the HDMI again and turned off the progressive. OK, it works now!
My eyes seem to ache with the HDMI hookups. Maybe it's just too sharp. I'm trying to turn down the backlight and sharpness. Maybe a little better. I dunno.
[9/5/10] I'm not getting a couple of HD channels I'm supposed to get, most of the time. The picture is blank when I tune them in. Specifically it's HTRAV (1325) AND HHIST (1327). The problem is the signal is marginal. The cable box is hooked up to a two-way splitter with one cable going to my mom's bedroom and the other cable going to the cable box. (And in fact it's split earlier with a three-way splitter with one end going to my bedroom and another going to the patio.) If I bypass the splitter and put the cable directly to the cable box it works. And in fact if I unscrew the other cable on the splitter, that works too.
Funny though that HHIST works if I use the Start Over function and watch from the beginning. HTRAV doesn't have the option.
So I guess I'll have to unscrew the cable when I want to watch those channels. Another option is to get a signal booster. Or maybe a low-loss splitter might work?
***
[9/12/10] Well I decided to return the Sony TV to the WalMart on Keeaumoku. It just so happened that Chelsea was there and took my return. So no problem.
Not sure what I going to buy to replacement. Either a Panasonic plasma. Or maybe the Vizio 37".
Anyway, reprogrammed the Oceanic remote back to the old TV. Followed the instructions on the back of the remote
1) turn device on
2) press device key (TV, DVD, etc.)
3) press and hold SETUP (LED blinks twice)
4) Press 9-9-1 (LED blinks twice)
5) Press POWER key
6) Press CH+ repeatedly until device turns off
7) Press SETUP when device turns off
(For more support, go to www.urcsupport.com, actually the instructions are here)
The Apex turned off pretty quickly, like on the fourth or fifth try. The Panasonic turned off quickly at first but then didn't work. Had to try again and it took like 90 tries before it worked.
Checking the code (page 14 of the instructions), it's 0650 for the Panasonic TV.
***
[9/16/10] Went down with Donna to Costco and picked up the Panasonic 42" Plasma TV (model TC-42PX24). It barely fit in her car. Good thing I didn't try to pick it up in my car. The other thing it's quite a bit heavier than the LCD. The box says 30 KG which is 66 pounds.
Hooked it up and didn't really like the hue. I guess it was too warm. I set it to cool and it looked better. However I think the "cool" setting is more harsh on my eyes.
My eyes seem better but still seem a little fatigued. I do think SD looks better on the plasma. There's not quite as many functions on the remote but I guess it's OK. And when I auto-scanned, I caught more channels than on the Sony. Like the Science Channel for example. We'll see how long they stay on. KHNL-HD (83.3) didnt catch at first. Then had a weak signal. It finally came in when I disconnected the cable going to mom's room.
Next to hook up the cable box and DVD player.
[9/17/10] Hooked up the cable box and watched Knocked Up (the rest of it) on DVR. It was in HD but was blurry. It's my eyes that were blurry. My eyes got sore. So that was discouraging. I think it could be the TV color, but maybe it was because I was straining my eyes trying to focus on the HD picture. I can hope.
I'm looking at the TV in the daytime now and the picture is awfully dim. Switched to standard picture and it has a lot more contrast and looks pretty good. Actually really good when I went to hi-def. But we'll see how the picture looks at these settings in the evening. My eyes don't seem too bad in the daytime. Again we'll see this evening.
And now in addition to HKHNL, HTRAV, HHIST not working (most of the time), HNGEO not working either :(
[9/18/10] put on the Planet Earth DVD and it looked pretty good on the big screen. Maybe I'll keep it.
It's now morning. The picture in the early morning still looked pretty good but as the morning went on the picture went downhill and I switched from "custom" back to "standard" (which has the C.A.T.S setting on) and it looked better. So apparently I'll have to use "standard" during the daylight hours and "custom" during the evenings, nights, and early mornings.
The HD channels that were blank last night are working this morning. We'll see how long that lasts.
Was watching some Dude Where's My Car on FX HD and the picture looked too green to me. Adjusting the tint didn't do much. Now I'm having second thoughts about keeping the TV.
I do like the plasma though as I think SD looks better on it and I don't notice the picture washing out when viewing at an angle. I think I may take a second look at the 37" Panasonic plasma that I saw at K-Mart. It did look quite good with the hidef signal when I saw it. Especially compared to the 42" Panasonic on display which looked pretty crappy with an SD feed from a DVD player.
Don't see any listing for the Panasonic 37" at kmart.com. I did find this favorable review (for the picture) of the Panasonic TH-37PD25UP. But this looks like an older review considering the TV had only one HDMI input and the Sharp LCD (to which the Panasonic was being compared) had a DVI input. Plus the street price was $2600 for the Panasonic and $4000 (!) for the Sharp.
Amazon has a listing for the Panasonic TH-37PX60U which gets 4.5 stars. But the reviews are dated 2006.
Looking at the Panasonic site, I don't see any listing for a 37" plasma. I did find my current TV, model TC-42PX24. (Now I'm wondering if the TV was actually a 37" plasma at KMart. I'm pretty sure I did.)
[9/18/10] After voting, I went down to KMart to take a look. No wonder I couldn't find it on the internet, it was actually a LCD TV, no plasma. Model number TC-L37C22. Rates 3.5 stars at Amazon (3 reviews: 1 5-star, 1 4-star, 1 1-star [bad support]). What sounded impressive to me was that it boasts of a 178 degree viewing angle!
Well, since it's not plasma, I guess I'll keep the 42". [For now.] Truth to tell, when I came home and looked at the football game in HD, it looked pretty good. Maybe it helped that I changed the setting back to cool? [For now.] I think if I saw this picture at the store, I'd actually be kind of impressed.
[9/21/10] More messing around with the TV. Finding the "cinema" mode (with the color tweaked down a bit) gives a pretty nice picture during the day. But it depends on the channel and show. Now watching the TB-NYY games on MLB in the afternoon. I'd have to say it's close to a perfect picture (for my eyes anyway).
[9/21/10] Here's an interesting article on how to adjust your picture (linked from Misconception #5 of Nine Common Misconceptions About Plasma TVs). All this time I didn't know that contrast is actually the white level.
[9/22/10] more messing with the TV settings. There are four main picture settings: vivid, cinema, standard, custom. And they are all different (duh). By that I mean even when I set the contrast, brightness, color, sharpness to the same setting, the picture looks different. The problem is even after I have the settings to where it suits me, the picture becomes different at a different time of day and on a different channel. Well, I like to play with the TV anyway...
[10/2/10] Trying out Donna's Toshiba 40" TV on hi-def. I like the color better. Doesn't seem too harsh like the Sony. Or too greenish like the Panasonic plasma. But my eyes still get sore. Maybe the TV needs more adjustment. But more likely it's me since this is the third TV that makes my eyes tired/sore. (And I remember my eyes tend to get sore when looking at big LCD computer monitors -- I'm still using old CRT monitors.) It doesn't seem as bad when watching standard definition. Maybe the hidef is forcing my eyes to focus. Lowering the contrast and color (like my CRT) seems to help. But too much and the picture don't look too great. Now considering returning the Panasonic. And considering the 37" Panasonic LCD. Or maybe an edge-lit 120 Hz Vizio.
Hmmm. Maybe my eyes don't like the CCFL? If so, maybe LED is better?
*** [4/11/12]
Unplugged the cable box last night and did a new scan for channels. Some of the free HD channels have changed. Here's some of the new lineup:
48-1 KGMB-HD
48-4 DKIKU
48-5 DKBFD
48-9 KITVHD
49-1 KFVE-H
49-3 KHNL-HD
49-12 KHET-HD
51-1 OC SPORTS
78-21 KBS-WORLD
The following remain the same
46-1 KPXO-HD (Ion)
46-3 KHON-HD
46-4 CW-SD
Ah, I see the channel changes reflected on the website. Apparently they changed them Monday.
***
Plugged back in the cable box so I could watch the Knicks-Bucks on ESPN-HD. And, hey, TNT-HD, TRAV-HD, HIST-HD are back. I had lost the signal a couple of weeks ago and was going to call Oceanic about it. But I guess maybe I just needed to unplug the cable box.
*** [5/5/12]
Last night I noticed I lost ESPN-HD in addition to TNT-HD and a bunch of other channels (like USA-HD, etc.). Tried unplugging and replugging in the cable box. Tried having them resend the signal. Nope. And noticed that some of the lower channels were fuzzy (like channels 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 or most of them). So it's probably a weak signal. Called Oceanic and they were busy. Finally managed to get a callback from (I think) the mainland and I could barely hear her. She suggested I swap the cable box. Then I told her about the weak signal on the TV not on the cable box. She resent the signal. Nope. Finally she decided to schedule a visit from a tech. Channel 12 isn't working either, let along 1012. At least ESPN-HD is working again for now.
[Maybe I will swap the cable box, but I want to watch the shows that's on my DVR. Specifially Hachi. But I haven't watched it all this time. So maybe I should just get the DVD. I also have Avatar but I'm sure it's going to be on cable again. And the other one is the Dallas-Knicks game with Jeremy Lin. I've seen it, but I want to record it. Well, we'll see if the signal gets better in the next few days. There was a guy installing cable at Amy Pang's house a couple of days ago so I wonder if it's related?]
OK, early in the a.m. most of the channels are now working. It's down to TNT-HD, TRAV-HD, HIST-HD. And oddly OC-12, even though OC-12 HD (1012) is working. I'll probably try another reset to see if it takes this time..
[5/6/12] unplugged the cable box this morning and plugged the cable directly into the TV. Then about 1:00 PM plugged back the cable box. Hey, it's working! We'll see how long it lasts this time.
[5/14/12] TNT-HD is spotty, but TRAV-HD and HIST-HD seems to be working most of the time now. The TBS-HD signal doesn't seem to be that strong since the picture has been breaking up once in a while.
Bob hooked up the stand but had trouble with the last screw. Turned out the screw was stripped. But it seems to be sturdy enough. Lori put the batteries in the remote. Dunno what Cathy did. I was feeding Kimo.
I wanted the Sony brand because I knew that Sony could catch HD channels on Oceanic without needing a cable box (because I had set Sony's up for BettyN and the Fongs). I know some other brands could too, but I knew of other (Non-Sony) flat screen TVs that could only tune in the analog channels (because I tried them). (Probably because they were older models, but maybe not).
Anyway, cross fingers and auto-tune. It found 26 digital channels, 7 of them in HD (KHON, KITV, KFVE, KGMB, KHNL, KHET, and oddly MSNBC). One good thing about this Sony is it tells you what kind of signal it's picking up. NTSC (analog), digital SD (480i), and hi-def. I was surprised to see it picked up both 720p and 1024i signals.
Here's the digital channels it found after scanning (and what I believe are Oceanic's corresponding digital channels), plus the resolution of the hi-def channels. The non-HD channels are all in 480i.
46.3 KHON HD (1003) 720p
46.4 The CW Network (93)
77.3 NewsChoice (112)
79.1 PBS Kids Hawaii (443)
79.10 Event Prevues (?)
83.3 KHNL HD (1008) 1080i
94.101 Prevues (?) (I briefly got the picture then it blanked out)
94.102 Games? (433?) (there was a game in progress, but later it blanked)
103.250 SURF (250)
103.1107 MSNBC HD (1107) 1080i
112.353 blank?
113.698 New Tang Dynasty (698)
114.2 KITV HD (1006) 720p
116.1 KGMB HD (1007) 1080i
116.4 Digital KIKU (89)
116.5 Digital KBFD (82)
117.3 Digital KHON (none)
117.5 Digital KFVE (85)
117.6 Digital KITV (86)
117.7 Digital KGMB (87)
117.8 Digital KHNL (88)
117.10 Digital KHET (90)
118.1 KFVE HD (1005) 1080i
120.12 KHET HD (1010) 1080i
121.10 Digital HSN (152)
0 SportsChoice (200)
The next day, MSNBC disappears and so does New Tang Dynasty. And the Games and SURF too. On the other hand TEC appears (actually it disappeared later, then reappeared again).
[8/24am] Scan again. REELZ appears. And SURF and the Game channel reappears. Then comes the morning and REELZ and Games disappear, though SURF is still there so far.
Wondering why my so-called anamorphic DVDs don't fill the screen with black bars all around both horizontally and vertically. Light bulb. Set DVD player setting to 16:9 from 4:3. Yeah, much better!
[9/3/10] Ah, here's the official digital lineup from Oceanic. My KHNL HD 83.3 disappeared. I noticed the signal has been spotty in the past and now it's just plain gone. Well, hopefully it'll come back.
[11/11] My latest scan now shows the following channels:
46.3 KHON-HD
118.1 KFVE-HD
116.9 KITV-HD
116.1 KGMB-HD
118.3 KHNL-HD
118.12 KHET-HD
46.1 KPXO-HD
46.4 CW-SD
49.1 OC12-HD
122.11 1420 AM (radio)
***
[9/1/10] Decided to trade in my DVR for a hi-def DVR (Cisco Explorer 8300HD). Was considering cancelling my digital variety pack. But when the lady checked, she said I'm getting a special deal and my cost would actually go up! Well, that's what she said. So I'm keeping it. Got a new remote, though she said the old one would work. But I told her it was kind of worn out. (Some of the buttons, like the pause didn't work well.) So I got a new one. And they gave me an HDMI cable too.
Hooked it up via HDMI. Looks pretty sharp. My eyes still get a little sore, but they used to get sore at my old TV with the color turned up too much (come to think of it). They did get sore watching the 27" flat screen Sony I found on the side of the road. It was a little blue. Maybe it's Sony.
Now considering trading LCD for Plasma. But I dunno. The pros for plasma: viewing angle, motion handling. Pros for LCD: does better in daylight. And I see now that this Sony is "only" 60 Hz.
But every time I think of returning it, I see a nice super-clear, super-sharp, hi-def picture (the Sony does have an awesome hi-def picture) and think wow, how can I give this up? I'm not so impressed with the sharpness of the plasmas I see at the store. But they probably look fine if I'm not too close.
Anyway, couldn't find the code for the remote (which looks like the Atlas OCAP 5) to control the Sony. The code at urcsupport didn't work. So I did a code search and it worked at about the fifth or sixth try. Checking the code, it turns out to be 1-1-0-0.
And, ah, here's how to turn on closed caption when using HDMI (on this box anyway). It's just one of the settings you can access by pressing the settings button on the remote control (couldn't get the on when mute option working though).
[9/3/10] Panic. I was going to compare the HDMI picture with the composite picture on my DVD recorder. But couldn't get a picture on the composite despite some mad swapping of cables, even trying it with my Apex analog TV. I thought the DVD-recorder might have busted. But then I remembered I had set the setting to progressive. I hooked up the HDMI again and turned off the progressive. OK, it works now!
My eyes seem to ache with the HDMI hookups. Maybe it's just too sharp. I'm trying to turn down the backlight and sharpness. Maybe a little better. I dunno.
[9/5/10] I'm not getting a couple of HD channels I'm supposed to get, most of the time. The picture is blank when I tune them in. Specifically it's HTRAV (1325) AND HHIST (1327). The problem is the signal is marginal. The cable box is hooked up to a two-way splitter with one cable going to my mom's bedroom and the other cable going to the cable box. (And in fact it's split earlier with a three-way splitter with one end going to my bedroom and another going to the patio.) If I bypass the splitter and put the cable directly to the cable box it works. And in fact if I unscrew the other cable on the splitter, that works too.
Funny though that HHIST works if I use the Start Over function and watch from the beginning. HTRAV doesn't have the option.
So I guess I'll have to unscrew the cable when I want to watch those channels. Another option is to get a signal booster. Or maybe a low-loss splitter might work?
***
[9/12/10] Well I decided to return the Sony TV to the WalMart on Keeaumoku. It just so happened that Chelsea was there and took my return. So no problem.
Not sure what I going to buy to replacement. Either a Panasonic plasma. Or maybe the Vizio 37".
Anyway, reprogrammed the Oceanic remote back to the old TV. Followed the instructions on the back of the remote
1) turn device on
2) press device key (TV, DVD, etc.)
3) press and hold SETUP (LED blinks twice)
4) Press 9-9-1 (LED blinks twice)
5) Press POWER key
6) Press CH+ repeatedly until device turns off
7) Press SETUP when device turns off
(For more support, go to www.urcsupport.com, actually the instructions are here)
The Apex turned off pretty quickly, like on the fourth or fifth try. The Panasonic turned off quickly at first but then didn't work. Had to try again and it took like 90 tries before it worked.
Checking the code (page 14 of the instructions), it's 0650 for the Panasonic TV.
***
[9/16/10] Went down with Donna to Costco and picked up the Panasonic 42" Plasma TV (model TC-42PX24). It barely fit in her car. Good thing I didn't try to pick it up in my car. The other thing it's quite a bit heavier than the LCD. The box says 30 KG which is 66 pounds.
Hooked it up and didn't really like the hue. I guess it was too warm. I set it to cool and it looked better. However I think the "cool" setting is more harsh on my eyes.
My eyes seem better but still seem a little fatigued. I do think SD looks better on the plasma. There's not quite as many functions on the remote but I guess it's OK. And when I auto-scanned, I caught more channels than on the Sony. Like the Science Channel for example. We'll see how long they stay on. KHNL-HD (83.3) didnt catch at first. Then had a weak signal. It finally came in when I disconnected the cable going to mom's room.
Next to hook up the cable box and DVD player.
[9/17/10] Hooked up the cable box and watched Knocked Up (the rest of it) on DVR. It was in HD but was blurry. It's my eyes that were blurry. My eyes got sore. So that was discouraging. I think it could be the TV color, but maybe it was because I was straining my eyes trying to focus on the HD picture. I can hope.
I'm looking at the TV in the daytime now and the picture is awfully dim. Switched to standard picture and it has a lot more contrast and looks pretty good. Actually really good when I went to hi-def. But we'll see how the picture looks at these settings in the evening. My eyes don't seem too bad in the daytime. Again we'll see this evening.
And now in addition to HKHNL, HTRAV, HHIST not working (most of the time), HNGEO not working either :(
[9/18/10] put on the Planet Earth DVD and it looked pretty good on the big screen. Maybe I'll keep it.
It's now morning. The picture in the early morning still looked pretty good but as the morning went on the picture went downhill and I switched from "custom" back to "standard" (which has the C.A.T.S setting on) and it looked better. So apparently I'll have to use "standard" during the daylight hours and "custom" during the evenings, nights, and early mornings.
The HD channels that were blank last night are working this morning. We'll see how long that lasts.
Was watching some Dude Where's My Car on FX HD and the picture looked too green to me. Adjusting the tint didn't do much. Now I'm having second thoughts about keeping the TV.
I do like the plasma though as I think SD looks better on it and I don't notice the picture washing out when viewing at an angle. I think I may take a second look at the 37" Panasonic plasma that I saw at K-Mart. It did look quite good with the hidef signal when I saw it. Especially compared to the 42" Panasonic on display which looked pretty crappy with an SD feed from a DVD player.
Don't see any listing for the Panasonic 37" at kmart.com. I did find this favorable review (for the picture) of the Panasonic TH-37PD25UP. But this looks like an older review considering the TV had only one HDMI input and the Sharp LCD (to which the Panasonic was being compared) had a DVI input. Plus the street price was $2600 for the Panasonic and $4000 (!) for the Sharp.
Amazon has a listing for the Panasonic TH-37PX60U which gets 4.5 stars. But the reviews are dated 2006.
Looking at the Panasonic site, I don't see any listing for a 37" plasma. I did find my current TV, model TC-42PX24. (Now I'm wondering if the TV was actually a 37" plasma at KMart. I'm pretty sure I did.)
[9/18/10] After voting, I went down to KMart to take a look. No wonder I couldn't find it on the internet, it was actually a LCD TV, no plasma. Model number TC-L37C22. Rates 3.5 stars at Amazon (3 reviews: 1 5-star, 1 4-star, 1 1-star [bad support]). What sounded impressive to me was that it boasts of a 178 degree viewing angle!
Well, since it's not plasma, I guess I'll keep the 42". [For now.] Truth to tell, when I came home and looked at the football game in HD, it looked pretty good. Maybe it helped that I changed the setting back to cool? [For now.] I think if I saw this picture at the store, I'd actually be kind of impressed.
[9/21/10] More messing around with the TV. Finding the "cinema" mode (with the color tweaked down a bit) gives a pretty nice picture during the day. But it depends on the channel and show. Now watching the TB-NYY games on MLB in the afternoon. I'd have to say it's close to a perfect picture (for my eyes anyway).
[9/21/10] Here's an interesting article on how to adjust your picture (linked from Misconception #5 of Nine Common Misconceptions About Plasma TVs). All this time I didn't know that contrast is actually the white level.
[9/22/10] more messing with the TV settings. There are four main picture settings: vivid, cinema, standard, custom. And they are all different (duh). By that I mean even when I set the contrast, brightness, color, sharpness to the same setting, the picture looks different. The problem is even after I have the settings to where it suits me, the picture becomes different at a different time of day and on a different channel. Well, I like to play with the TV anyway...
[10/2/10] Trying out Donna's Toshiba 40" TV on hi-def. I like the color better. Doesn't seem too harsh like the Sony. Or too greenish like the Panasonic plasma. But my eyes still get sore. Maybe the TV needs more adjustment. But more likely it's me since this is the third TV that makes my eyes tired/sore. (And I remember my eyes tend to get sore when looking at big LCD computer monitors -- I'm still using old CRT monitors.) It doesn't seem as bad when watching standard definition. Maybe the hidef is forcing my eyes to focus. Lowering the contrast and color (like my CRT) seems to help. But too much and the picture don't look too great. Now considering returning the Panasonic. And considering the 37" Panasonic LCD. Or maybe an edge-lit 120 Hz Vizio.
Hmmm. Maybe my eyes don't like the CCFL? If so, maybe LED is better?
*** [4/11/12]
Unplugged the cable box last night and did a new scan for channels. Some of the free HD channels have changed. Here's some of the new lineup:
48-1 KGMB-HD
48-4 DKIKU
48-5 DKBFD
48-9 KITVHD
49-1 KFVE-H
49-3 KHNL-HD
49-12 KHET-HD
51-1 OC SPORTS
78-21 KBS-WORLD
The following remain the same
46-1 KPXO-HD (Ion)
46-3 KHON-HD
46-4 CW-SD
Ah, I see the channel changes reflected on the website. Apparently they changed them Monday.
***
Plugged back in the cable box so I could watch the Knicks-Bucks on ESPN-HD. And, hey, TNT-HD, TRAV-HD, HIST-HD are back. I had lost the signal a couple of weeks ago and was going to call Oceanic about it. But I guess maybe I just needed to unplug the cable box.
*** [5/5/12]
Last night I noticed I lost ESPN-HD in addition to TNT-HD and a bunch of other channels (like USA-HD, etc.). Tried unplugging and replugging in the cable box. Tried having them resend the signal. Nope. And noticed that some of the lower channels were fuzzy (like channels 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 or most of them). So it's probably a weak signal. Called Oceanic and they were busy. Finally managed to get a callback from (I think) the mainland and I could barely hear her. She suggested I swap the cable box. Then I told her about the weak signal on the TV not on the cable box. She resent the signal. Nope. Finally she decided to schedule a visit from a tech. Channel 12 isn't working either, let along 1012. At least ESPN-HD is working again for now.
[Maybe I will swap the cable box, but I want to watch the shows that's on my DVR. Specifially Hachi. But I haven't watched it all this time. So maybe I should just get the DVD. I also have Avatar but I'm sure it's going to be on cable again. And the other one is the Dallas-Knicks game with Jeremy Lin. I've seen it, but I want to record it. Well, we'll see if the signal gets better in the next few days. There was a guy installing cable at Amy Pang's house a couple of days ago so I wonder if it's related?]
OK, early in the a.m. most of the channels are now working. It's down to TNT-HD, TRAV-HD, HIST-HD. And oddly OC-12, even though OC-12 HD (1012) is working. I'll probably try another reset to see if it takes this time..
[5/6/12] unplugged the cable box this morning and plugged the cable directly into the TV. Then about 1:00 PM plugged back the cable box. Hey, it's working! We'll see how long it lasts this time.
[5/14/12] TNT-HD is spotty, but TRAV-HD and HIST-HD seems to be working most of the time now. The TBS-HD signal doesn't seem to be that strong since the picture has been breaking up once in a while.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
huge ice island can't be stopped
STOCKHOLM – An island of ice more than four times the size of Manhattan is drifting across the Arctic Ocean after breaking off from a glacier in Greenland.
Potentially in the path of this unstoppable giant are oil platforms and shipping lanes — and any collision could do untold damage. In a worst case scenario, large chunks could reach the heavily trafficked waters where another Greenland iceberg sank the Titanic in 1912.
It's been a summer of near biblical climatic havoc across the planet, with wildfires, heat and smog in Russia and killer floods in Asia. But the moment the Petermann glacier cracked last week — creating the biggest Arctic ice island in half a century — may symbolize a warming world like no other.
"It's so big that you can't prevent it from drifting. You can't stop it," said Jon-Ove Methlie Hagen, a glaciologist at the University of Oslo.
[via bdparts]
Potentially in the path of this unstoppable giant are oil platforms and shipping lanes — and any collision could do untold damage. In a worst case scenario, large chunks could reach the heavily trafficked waters where another Greenland iceberg sank the Titanic in 1912.
It's been a summer of near biblical climatic havoc across the planet, with wildfires, heat and smog in Russia and killer floods in Asia. But the moment the Petermann glacier cracked last week — creating the biggest Arctic ice island in half a century — may symbolize a warming world like no other.
"It's so big that you can't prevent it from drifting. You can't stop it," said Jon-Ove Methlie Hagen, a glaciologist at the University of Oslo.
[via bdparts]
Thursday, August 05, 2010
copy and pasting protected pdf
Once in a while, I get a pdf that I am unable to copy and paste to a document, since they protect it.
Now I see (from frwr_news 2010-08-02) there's a site that can convert pdf to word format, called pdftoword. I got a feeling it also might not work with protected documents, but I think I'll try it next time.
The creator of the website, Nitro PDF Software, also has some other neat-sounding free utilities. Haven't tried them out yet though to see how good they are.
[9/12/10] OK trying it with the EMC Annual letter which I can't copy and paste. Not getting anything via email.
Got nothing back to my hawaiiantel account, so submitted with my gmail account. Got this back. "The file you submitted is copy protected and could not be accessed." I.e. no use to me. So much for Nitro.
Went back to Simpo and it worked OK in this simple case.
***
3/23/12 - had the same problem with the Howard Marks memos. They were protected so I couldn't copy and paste in the usual way. However I found this website called pdfunlock that can read the protected document and spit back it as unprotected. I must say it worked quite well in this case.
[12/17/15 - you can tell they're protected because it says "secured" at the top of Adobe Reader.]
[6/10/15] In the same vein, this pdf utility called PDF Shaper (via frwr-news) looks like it could be handy. Among its functions are to extract text, encrypt and decrypt pdfs. Maybe I'll try it the next time.
What I have been doing lately is to upload to google drive then copy and paste from the uploaded file. It doesn't work all the time and you still have to format out the hard carriage returns. But it's better than typing. I forgot all about pdfunlock.
[4/29/17] Couldn't copy and paste Spetrino's newsletter The Dividend Machine. Adobe reader it's secure. Tried pdfunlock. Says it's not protected. Wound up having to upload the document to google docs and copy and paste from there. It doesn't copy and paste very well with hard breaks for each line and a blank line between each line. But it's better than having to type the whole thing.
Now I see (from frwr_news 2010-08-02) there's a site that can convert pdf to word format, called pdftoword. I got a feeling it also might not work with protected documents, but I think I'll try it next time.
The creator of the website, Nitro PDF Software, also has some other neat-sounding free utilities. Haven't tried them out yet though to see how good they are.
[9/12/10] OK trying it with the EMC Annual letter which I can't copy and paste. Not getting anything via email.
Got nothing back to my hawaiiantel account, so submitted with my gmail account. Got this back. "The file you submitted is copy protected and could not be accessed." I.e. no use to me. So much for Nitro.
Went back to Simpo and it worked OK in this simple case.
***
3/23/12 - had the same problem with the Howard Marks memos. They were protected so I couldn't copy and paste in the usual way. However I found this website called pdfunlock that can read the protected document and spit back it as unprotected. I must say it worked quite well in this case.
[12/17/15 - you can tell they're protected because it says "secured" at the top of Adobe Reader.]
[6/10/15] In the same vein, this pdf utility called PDF Shaper (via frwr-news) looks like it could be handy. Among its functions are to extract text, encrypt and decrypt pdfs. Maybe I'll try it the next time.
What I have been doing lately is to upload to google drive then copy and paste from the uploaded file. It doesn't work all the time and you still have to format out the hard carriage returns. But it's better than typing. I forgot all about pdfunlock.
[4/29/17] Couldn't copy and paste Spetrino's newsletter The Dividend Machine. Adobe reader it's secure. Tried pdfunlock. Says it's not protected. Wound up having to upload the document to google docs and copy and paste from there. It doesn't copy and paste very well with hard breaks for each line and a blank line between each line. But it's better than having to type the whole thing.
Friday, July 23, 2010
a $35 computer?
It looks like an iPad, only it's 1/14th the cost: India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 basic touchscreen tablet aimed at students, which it hopes to bring into production by 2011.
If the government can find a manufacturer, the Linux operating system-based computer would be the latest in a string of "world's cheapest" innovations to hit the market out of India, which is home to the 100,000 rupee ($2,127) compact Nano car, the 749 rupees ($16) water purifier and the $2,000 open-heart surgery.
The tablet can be used for functions like word processing, web browsing and video-conferencing. It has a solar power option too -- important for India's energy-starved hinterlands -- though that add-on costs extra.
"This is our answer to MIT's $100 computer," human resource development minister Kapil Sibal told the Economic Times when he unveiled the device Thursday.
In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte -- co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab -- unveiled a prototype of a $100 laptop for children in the developing world. India rejected that as too expensive and embarked on a multiyear effort to develop a cheaper option of its own.
Negroponte's laptop ended up costing about $200, but in May his nonprofit association, One Laptop Per Child, said it plans to launch a basic tablet computer for $99.
Sibal turned to students and professors at India's elite technical universities to develop the $35 tablet after receiving a "lukewarm" response from private sector players. He hopes to get the cost down to $10 eventually.
If the government can find a manufacturer, the Linux operating system-based computer would be the latest in a string of "world's cheapest" innovations to hit the market out of India, which is home to the 100,000 rupee ($2,127) compact Nano car, the 749 rupees ($16) water purifier and the $2,000 open-heart surgery.
The tablet can be used for functions like word processing, web browsing and video-conferencing. It has a solar power option too -- important for India's energy-starved hinterlands -- though that add-on costs extra.
"This is our answer to MIT's $100 computer," human resource development minister Kapil Sibal told the Economic Times when he unveiled the device Thursday.
In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte -- co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab -- unveiled a prototype of a $100 laptop for children in the developing world. India rejected that as too expensive and embarked on a multiyear effort to develop a cheaper option of its own.
Negroponte's laptop ended up costing about $200, but in May his nonprofit association, One Laptop Per Child, said it plans to launch a basic tablet computer for $99.
Sibal turned to students and professors at India's elite technical universities to develop the $35 tablet after receiving a "lukewarm" response from private sector players. He hopes to get the cost down to $10 eventually.
Oceans reaching tipping points
WASHINGTON — A sobering new report warns that the oceans face a "fundamental and irreversible ecological transformation" not seen in millions of years as greenhouse gases and climate change already have affected temperature, acidity, sea and oxygen levels, the food chain and possibly major currents that could alter global weather.
The report, in Science magazine, brings together dozens of studies that collectively paint a dismal picture of deteriorating ocean health.
"This is further evidence we are well on our way to the next great extinction event," said Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, the director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland in Australia and a co-author of the report.
John Bruno, an associate professor of marine sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the report's other co-author, isn't quite as alarmist, but he's equally concerned.
"We are becoming increasingly certain that the world's marine ecosystems are reaching tipping points," Bruno said, adding, "We really have no power or model to foresee" the impact.
Volcanic activity and large meteorite strikes in the past have "resulted in hostile conditions that have increased extinction rates and driven ecosystem collapse," the report says. "There is now overwhelming evidence human activities are driving rapid changes on a scale similar to these past events.
"Many of these changes are already occurring within the world's oceans with serious consequences likely over the coming years."
"Although our comprehension of how this variability will change over the coming decades remains uncertain, the steady increase in heat content in the ocean and atmosphere are likely to have profound influences on the strength, direction and behavior of the world's major current systems," the report says.
"It's a lot worse than the public thinks," said Nate Mantua, an associate research professor at the University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group.
Mantua, who's read the report, said it was clear what was causing the oceans' problems: greenhouse gases. "It is not a mystery," he said.
The report, in Science magazine, brings together dozens of studies that collectively paint a dismal picture of deteriorating ocean health.
"This is further evidence we are well on our way to the next great extinction event," said Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, the director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland in Australia and a co-author of the report.
John Bruno, an associate professor of marine sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the report's other co-author, isn't quite as alarmist, but he's equally concerned.
"We are becoming increasingly certain that the world's marine ecosystems are reaching tipping points," Bruno said, adding, "We really have no power or model to foresee" the impact.
Volcanic activity and large meteorite strikes in the past have "resulted in hostile conditions that have increased extinction rates and driven ecosystem collapse," the report says. "There is now overwhelming evidence human activities are driving rapid changes on a scale similar to these past events.
"Many of these changes are already occurring within the world's oceans with serious consequences likely over the coming years."
"Although our comprehension of how this variability will change over the coming decades remains uncertain, the steady increase in heat content in the ocean and atmosphere are likely to have profound influences on the strength, direction and behavior of the world's major current systems," the report says.
"It's a lot worse than the public thinks," said Nate Mantua, an associate research professor at the University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group.
Mantua, who's read the report, said it was clear what was causing the oceans' problems: greenhouse gases. "It is not a mystery," he said.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Powering The Future
I happened to catch this on Discovery Channel last night (after Mythbusters examined the Moon Landing Conspiracy theories). It turns out it's a four part series.
Powering the Future, a brand-new four-hour special series, is hosted by Dr. M. Sanjayan, lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy, the special closely examines where our energy could come from and how we are striving to create a clean, limitless, secure supply of energy.
The episodes are
The Energy Revolution
The race to power the future.
The Energy Planet
Reasons for easing mankind's dependency on fossil fuels; ways to power Earth in the future.
Striking a Balance
Balancing energy supply and demand.
Leading the Charge
Global warming, geopolitics and geology offer reasons for change.
They were on Discovery Channel last night, but I see they are being rerun on the Science Channel this week.
Powering the Future, a brand-new four-hour special series, is hosted by Dr. M. Sanjayan, lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy, the special closely examines where our energy could come from and how we are striving to create a clean, limitless, secure supply of energy.
The episodes are
The Energy Revolution
The race to power the future.
The Energy Planet
Reasons for easing mankind's dependency on fossil fuels; ways to power Earth in the future.
Striking a Balance
Balancing energy supply and demand.
Leading the Charge
Global warming, geopolitics and geology offer reasons for change.
They were on Discovery Channel last night, but I see they are being rerun on the Science Channel this week.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
google docs lockup / new format
I recently noticed that when I try to edit my google docs docuents on chrome, the browser locks up. CPU activity goes to 100%. It's like it gets stuck in an endless loop. So I have to CTRL-ALT-DEL and end task to exit.
It seems OK on firefox though. And trying it on Internet Explorer it locks up there too.
So I wondered maybe it's just my old documents. So I tried creating a new document. And it looks different. Now it looks like a WYSIWG word processor with a ruler on the top and margins on the left and right.
I suppose this is OK, but I'm wondering whether this has something to do with why it's locking up.
I tried a small document and it seemed OK. So maybe it's the size of the document? Maybe they can't handle large documents in the old format?
***
Well, I tried copying and pasting text from the old document to a new document. But it doesn't look the same. Even changing the font to the same, the line spacing looks different. And as soon as I try to do anything, it tries to save and I get a message box saying the script is unresponsive. And this is in firefox.
Definitely a turn for the worse in my view.
***
I guess what I can do is go to this link and copy and paste into it.
OK made the doc and tried to edit it in chrome. Seemed OK. Then tried it in I.E. Locked up at first with high CPU usage then settled down after a number of seconds and then could edit it. Maybe it's a document size issue?
Next I opened a document in the new format into which I had pasted in test from an old document. It was really slow to open in I.E. with high CPU usuage. After like 10 minutes the document finally loaded in and I was able to slowly edit it.
The same document loaded much quicken using firefox, like in five to ten seconds.
Conclusion? I'll continue to use firefox and create new documents in the old format.
***
Ah, now I see that there IS a new google docs and actually seems to be a brand new (completely different) product.
So compatibility issues would be expected. But locking up the browser has to be unacceptable.
***
[7/19/10] Ah, you can change the default back to the old documents. Click on new features at the top. Then click on the link Learn more about the new version and how to start using it. That brings up the answer.
You can continue to create documents in the older version, for now, by opting out of the new version. Simply go to your Google Docs Settings page, click the Editing tab, and deselect the option labeled "Create new text documents using the latest version of the document editor."
***
[1/28/11] Now I see they have removed that option. What you need to do is then, is bring up an old document with the old format, make a copy of the document (with the make a copy option under the File menu), rename the document, type in the new text and delete the old text.
It seems OK on firefox though. And trying it on Internet Explorer it locks up there too.
So I wondered maybe it's just my old documents. So I tried creating a new document. And it looks different. Now it looks like a WYSIWG word processor with a ruler on the top and margins on the left and right.
I suppose this is OK, but I'm wondering whether this has something to do with why it's locking up.
I tried a small document and it seemed OK. So maybe it's the size of the document? Maybe they can't handle large documents in the old format?
***
Well, I tried copying and pasting text from the old document to a new document. But it doesn't look the same. Even changing the font to the same, the line spacing looks different. And as soon as I try to do anything, it tries to save and I get a message box saying the script is unresponsive. And this is in firefox.
Definitely a turn for the worse in my view.
***
I guess what I can do is go to this link and copy and paste into it.
OK made the doc and tried to edit it in chrome. Seemed OK. Then tried it in I.E. Locked up at first with high CPU usage then settled down after a number of seconds and then could edit it. Maybe it's a document size issue?
Next I opened a document in the new format into which I had pasted in test from an old document. It was really slow to open in I.E. with high CPU usuage. After like 10 minutes the document finally loaded in and I was able to slowly edit it.
The same document loaded much quicken using firefox, like in five to ten seconds.
Conclusion? I'll continue to use firefox and create new documents in the old format.
***
Ah, now I see that there IS a new google docs and actually seems to be a brand new (completely different) product.
So compatibility issues would be expected. But locking up the browser has to be unacceptable.
***
[7/19/10] Ah, you can change the default back to the old documents. Click on new features at the top. Then click on the link Learn more about the new version and how to start using it. That brings up the answer.
You can continue to create documents in the older version, for now, by opting out of the new version. Simply go to your Google Docs Settings page, click the Editing tab, and deselect the option labeled "Create new text documents using the latest version of the document editor."
***
[1/28/11] Now I see they have removed that option. What you need to do is then, is bring up an old document with the old format, make a copy of the document (with the make a copy option under the File menu), rename the document, type in the new text and delete the old text.
Friday, July 16, 2010
clearing firefox browsing history
For some reason, I can't clear one one certain item in my firefox browsing history.
Normally you press the down-arrow in the address bar to bring up the most visited url's. Then move the mouse arrow to highlight the item and press delete. That will delete the item. But when I did that, one item still remained. Well two items, one was google.com, so that's OK. But the other one was a private website.
They even remain when I go tools, clear recent history, and clear everything.
Ah there you go, it was in unsorted bookmarks (go to bookmarks, organize bookmarks). Found it and deleted it and now it's gone. I forget why I looked at this. I might have been been after looking at this article or similar (found from searching mozilla support) and happened to look there. (Don't know for sure because I deleted all my history and can't look back to see now :)
***
Ah, now I'm getting to see how the items get in the address bar history. It doesn't appear at first. But accessing the website, the next time you type a few letters in the address bar, the website appears. Then after you select the website, it's now in the choices in the address bar history.
Normally you press the down-arrow in the address bar to bring up the most visited url's. Then move the mouse arrow to highlight the item and press delete. That will delete the item. But when I did that, one item still remained. Well two items, one was google.com, so that's OK. But the other one was a private website.
They even remain when I go tools, clear recent history, and clear everything.
Ah there you go, it was in unsorted bookmarks (go to bookmarks, organize bookmarks). Found it and deleted it and now it's gone. I forget why I looked at this. I might have been been after looking at this article or similar (found from searching mozilla support) and happened to look there. (Don't know for sure because I deleted all my history and can't look back to see now :)
***
Ah, now I'm getting to see how the items get in the address bar history. It doesn't appear at first. But accessing the website, the next time you type a few letters in the address bar, the website appears. Then after you select the website, it's now in the choices in the address bar history.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Was blind, but now I see
LOS ANGELES — Dozens of people who were blinded or otherwise suffered severe eye damage when they were splashed with caustic chemicals had their sight restored with transplants of their own stem cells — a stunning success for the burgeoning cell-therapy field, Italian researchers reported June 23.
The treatment worked completely in 82 of 107 eyes and partially in 14 others, with benefits lasting up to a decade so far. One man whose eyes were severely damaged more than 60 years ago now has near-normal vision.
“This is a roaring success,” said ophthalmologist Dr. Ivan Schwab of the University of California, Davis, who had no role in the study — the longest and largest of its kind.
Stem cell transplants offer hope to the thousands of people worldwide every year who suffer chemical burns on their corneas from heavy-duty cleansers or other substances at work or at home.
The approach would not help people with damage to the optic nerve or macular degeneration, which involves the retina. Nor would it work in people who are completely blind in both eyes, because doctors need at least some healthy tissue that they can transplant.
The treatment worked completely in 82 of 107 eyes and partially in 14 others, with benefits lasting up to a decade so far. One man whose eyes were severely damaged more than 60 years ago now has near-normal vision.
“This is a roaring success,” said ophthalmologist Dr. Ivan Schwab of the University of California, Davis, who had no role in the study — the longest and largest of its kind.
Stem cell transplants offer hope to the thousands of people worldwide every year who suffer chemical burns on their corneas from heavy-duty cleansers or other substances at work or at home.
The approach would not help people with damage to the optic nerve or macular degeneration, which involves the retina. Nor would it work in people who are completely blind in both eyes, because doctors need at least some healthy tissue that they can transplant.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
lost my beep
When I permanently delete items from my Outlook Express deleted folder, I get a pleasant beep sound. But now I just get the beep from the speaker. [This happened several times before too.]
I also get the sound as a warning when I close (for example) Word without saving. And when using WS_FTP (yes, I still use that).
I suspect the system is sort of screwed up because the memory always gets low.
Anyway, the last time it corrected itself after a reboot, but this time it didn't. The first time, I used these instructions to correct it.
1) Click START... RUN... type Services.msc in the box... click OK
2) Change both of the following services from "Automatic" to "Disable"
---> Plug and Play Service
---> Windows Audio Service
3) Reboot, then reset both the "Plug and Play" & "Windows Audio" Services back to "Automatic".
4) Reboot, then test if the "Beep" is still there by opening a new MS Word document, type a few letters, then exit without saving to get the Exclamation/Beep prompt.
***
[7/14/10] Hey got my beep back, but not in the above way. What I did was go to control panel, sounds, and set it to no sounds. Then shut down. Start up. Then set the sound back to Windows default.
I also get the sound as a warning when I close (for example) Word without saving. And when using WS_FTP (yes, I still use that).
I suspect the system is sort of screwed up because the memory always gets low.
Anyway, the last time it corrected itself after a reboot, but this time it didn't. The first time, I used these instructions to correct it.
1) Click START... RUN... type Services.msc in the box... click OK
2) Change both of the following services from "Automatic" to "Disable"
---> Plug and Play Service
---> Windows Audio Service
3) Reboot, then reset both the "Plug and Play" & "Windows Audio" Services back to "Automatic".
4) Reboot, then test if the "Beep" is still there by opening a new MS Word document, type a few letters, then exit without saving to get the Exclamation/Beep prompt.
***
[7/14/10] Hey got my beep back, but not in the above way. What I did was go to control panel, sounds, and set it to no sounds. Then shut down. Start up. Then set the sound back to Windows default.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
welcome to recycled island
A Dutch architecture company says it plans to construct a massive island in the Pacific made from the vast collection of plastic that has collected in the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” between Hawaii and San Francisco.
WHIM’s Ramon Knoester says the construction of “Recycled Island” will clean out the majority of the Pacific’s plastic pollution and create new habitable land as many of the world’s coastlines are lost to rising sea levels.
WHIM’s Ramon Knoester says the construction of “Recycled Island” will clean out the majority of the Pacific’s plastic pollution and create new habitable land as many of the world’s coastlines are lost to rising sea levels.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
HDTV and closed caption
I went to Billy's house again last night and tried to turn on closed captioning. For some reason it doesn't work on his Toshiba HD-TV. I thought it might be the cable box. So I tried to turn it on while playing a DVD (Live Free or Die Hard) [not Blu-Ray] and that didn't work either. Of course the subtitles worked on the DVD. [Hmm. Looking up Live Free or Die Hard on amazon. Doesn't say it supports closed captioning, so maybe it doesn't. Will have to try another DVD that does.]
So that made me wonder if there's a problem with HD-TV and closed captioning. And apparently there is.
Here's an article from 2007.
As high-definition TV gains momentum in the United States, broadcasters, set-top box manufacturers and cable and satellite companies are struggling to provide closed captioning.
While most older analog sets provide captions with the touch of a remote control button or via a simple on-screen menu, it's more complicated to get closed captioning on the newest digital TVs that get their signal through cable and satellite boxes rather than antennas. That's because the signal is processed by the box and the caption settings must be matched to the resolution of the TV display.
In addition, most high-definition cable and satellite set-top boxes control the caption settings through often obscure and confusing menus.
"I learned that ... digital captioning options must be controlled from the cable box via a hidden menu that comes with no instructions," wrote Pamela Holmes, a deaf cable customer in Madison, Wis.
In an e-mail, Holmes said it took nearly 12 hours with installers, phone support and other resources to get her closed captioning operating.
Further complicating things, people are now discovering that if an HDTV set is hooked to the cable box through a connection called HDMI, captions won't be displayed at all.
***
From Amazon.com.
I bought this TV the other day and I'm waiting for comcast to come out and hook it up tomorrow. I was going through the manual and it says that closed caption is only available on the TV, AV, and S-Video mode. I'm hearing impaired so I use the CC all the time. Does this mean if I connect the cable box by HDMI or Component cables that the closed captions won't work? ANyone who could try this for me or knows a solution for this would be greatly appreciated!
I see what you saw in the manual so I tried in a HD station with my cable box over HDMI and I could not select caption from the menu. I think the reason for this is because the cable box has its own closed captioning. I went into the settings for the box and was able to use closed captioning that way.
***
From Wikipedia:
Many viewers find that when they switch to an HDTV they are unable to view closed caption (CC) information, even though the broadcaster is sending it and the TV is able to display it. Originally, CC information was included in the picture ("line 21"), but there is no equivalent capability in the HDTV 720p/1080i interconnects between the display and a "source". A "source", in this case, can be a DVD player or an HD tuner (a cable box is an HD tuner). When CC information is encoded in the MPEG-2 data stream, only the device that decodes the MPEG-2 data (a source) has access to the closed caption information; there is no standard for transmitting the CC information to an HD display separately. Thus, if there is CC information, the source device needs to overlay the CC information on the picture prior to transmitting to the display over the interconnect.
Many source devices do not have the ability to overlay CC information, or controlling the CC overlay is extremely complicated. For example, the Motorola DCT-5xxx and -6xxx cable set-top boxes have the ability to decode CC information located on the mpg stream and overlay it on the picture, but turning CC on and off requires turning off the unit and going into a special setup menu (it is not on the standard configuration menu and it cannot be controlled using the remote). Historically, DVD players and cable box tuners did not need to do this overlaying, they simply passed this information on to the TV, and they are not mandated to perform this overlaying.
[In other words, you got to turn it on from the cable box. Somehow.]
***
Here's how one user turned on closed captioning on his cable box.
***
Here's Oceanic's solution
There are no graphics, closed captions or program guides appearing on the TV screen.
1. The DCT cannot generate graphics on all video outputs at all times. If the DCT is set to 1080i, 720p, or 480p output formats, graphics are only available on the high definition video outputs (DVI and component video). If the DCT is set to 480i, graphics are available on all video outputs.
2. If the DCT is connected to a standard definition TV, verify the DCT is configured to use the 480i output mode.
3. Verify closed captions on the DCT have been enabled in the User Settings menu.
So what does DCT mean?
Digital Cable Terminal, the generic term for the set-top box required to receive digital cable.
***
HDMI.org verifies all of the above (or just read this first without reading everything above :)
Q. Does HDMI support Closed Captioning?
Close Captioning
The evolution from analog to digital TV has added some complexity to Close Captioning (CC). With one standard way of broadcasting/transmitting, decoding and displaying content NTSC or PAL, depending on region, analog TV made enabling CC fairly easy across CE devices since the TV was able to do all the CC decoding.
With the advent of digital TV and the introduction of digital HDTV services (cable, satellite, etc.) the responsibility of decoding CC has been taken away from the TVs and put into the various Set Top Boxes (STB) that are required for the majority of the digital HDTV services. Additionally, these STBs now have different ways of enabling CC making it complicated and creating confusion for consumers. All set-top boxes are required to support CC, however the implementation of CC can vary from one product to another. Enabling CC on a specific set-top box can be simple, or more difficult, depending on the implementation.
HDMI, LLC recommends contacting your TV service provider (cable, satellite, etc.) for the correct way to switch on its CC feature as a first step to resolve this issue. The second step is to contact the manufacturers directly for the correct way to enable the CC feature within your product.
How CC works in HDMI and other digital connections:
The TV remote's CC button does not enable/disable CC on HDMI sources. To enable CC, the user must enable it at the source either through a source remote control key (i.e. CC button) or by going through the setup menu of the source. The source will then combine the video content with the CC information and output that (video + CC) via HDMI to the TV.
***
Hmm. Never noticed if closed captioning worked on my digital channels (on my SD-TV). Let me see...
OK, it works on both 5 and 85. So evidently it's not a digital problem but a hi-def problem. Well I should say it's not the digital signal, but the digital TV.
***
Well, I guess I'll have to wait to get my hi-def TV first to know for sure, I guess.
***
On a related note, does Blu-Ray support closed-captioning?
Since Blu-ray is now accepted (for the most part) as the new HD disc format standard, many questions have come up about closed-captioning and subtitling for Blu-ray Disc (also referred to as BD).
First off, to get the record straight, Blu-ray does not support closed captioning. This is for a very logical reason: Subtitles can be turned on and off through the disc’s menu (just like an SD DVD), therefore there is no need to add the closed captioning option. Consequently, BD does not carry Line 21 due to its High-Definition Multimedia Interface specs (HDMI). These specs were designed to displace the older digital and analog standards.
[so does that mean every Blu-Ray disc has subtitles?]
[yes, according to reply #8]
From Wikipedia:
HD DVD and Blu-ray disc media cannot carry Line 21 closed captioning due to the design of High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specifications that were designed to replace older analog and digital standards, such as VGA, S-Video, and DVI.
***
To make it even clearer, apparently the HDMI cable does not support closed captions. And closed captions appear on an interlaced signal, so it's not supported by progressive mode either.
OK, that sucks. That means I would have to hook up my DVD/Blu-Ray player via composite cable to view closed captions on DVDs.
But apparently some DVRs support closed captioning with HDMI (see replies #5,6,8). I wonder if my Toshiba has it? [9/1/10 - don't see that option]
***
[9/1/10] Finally got my HD DVR and found (looked it up) that I can turn on closed caption as one of the options when I press the setting button on the remote. Cool.
So that made me wonder if there's a problem with HD-TV and closed captioning. And apparently there is.
Here's an article from 2007.
As high-definition TV gains momentum in the United States, broadcasters, set-top box manufacturers and cable and satellite companies are struggling to provide closed captioning.
While most older analog sets provide captions with the touch of a remote control button or via a simple on-screen menu, it's more complicated to get closed captioning on the newest digital TVs that get their signal through cable and satellite boxes rather than antennas. That's because the signal is processed by the box and the caption settings must be matched to the resolution of the TV display.
In addition, most high-definition cable and satellite set-top boxes control the caption settings through often obscure and confusing menus.
"I learned that ... digital captioning options must be controlled from the cable box via a hidden menu that comes with no instructions," wrote Pamela Holmes, a deaf cable customer in Madison, Wis.
In an e-mail, Holmes said it took nearly 12 hours with installers, phone support and other resources to get her closed captioning operating.
Further complicating things, people are now discovering that if an HDTV set is hooked to the cable box through a connection called HDMI, captions won't be displayed at all.
***
From Amazon.com.
I bought this TV the other day and I'm waiting for comcast to come out and hook it up tomorrow. I was going through the manual and it says that closed caption is only available on the TV, AV, and S-Video mode. I'm hearing impaired so I use the CC all the time. Does this mean if I connect the cable box by HDMI or Component cables that the closed captions won't work? ANyone who could try this for me or knows a solution for this would be greatly appreciated!
I see what you saw in the manual so I tried in a HD station with my cable box over HDMI and I could not select caption from the menu. I think the reason for this is because the cable box has its own closed captioning. I went into the settings for the box and was able to use closed captioning that way.
***
From Wikipedia:
Many viewers find that when they switch to an HDTV they are unable to view closed caption (CC) information, even though the broadcaster is sending it and the TV is able to display it. Originally, CC information was included in the picture ("line 21"), but there is no equivalent capability in the HDTV 720p/1080i interconnects between the display and a "source". A "source", in this case, can be a DVD player or an HD tuner (a cable box is an HD tuner). When CC information is encoded in the MPEG-2 data stream, only the device that decodes the MPEG-2 data (a source) has access to the closed caption information; there is no standard for transmitting the CC information to an HD display separately. Thus, if there is CC information, the source device needs to overlay the CC information on the picture prior to transmitting to the display over the interconnect.
Many source devices do not have the ability to overlay CC information, or controlling the CC overlay is extremely complicated. For example, the Motorola DCT-5xxx and -6xxx cable set-top boxes have the ability to decode CC information located on the mpg stream and overlay it on the picture, but turning CC on and off requires turning off the unit and going into a special setup menu (it is not on the standard configuration menu and it cannot be controlled using the remote). Historically, DVD players and cable box tuners did not need to do this overlaying, they simply passed this information on to the TV, and they are not mandated to perform this overlaying.
[In other words, you got to turn it on from the cable box. Somehow.]
***
Here's how one user turned on closed captioning on his cable box.
***
Here's Oceanic's solution
There are no graphics, closed captions or program guides appearing on the TV screen.
1. The DCT cannot generate graphics on all video outputs at all times. If the DCT is set to 1080i, 720p, or 480p output formats, graphics are only available on the high definition video outputs (DVI and component video). If the DCT is set to 480i, graphics are available on all video outputs.
2. If the DCT is connected to a standard definition TV, verify the DCT is configured to use the 480i output mode.
3. Verify closed captions on the DCT have been enabled in the User Settings menu.
So what does DCT mean?
Digital Cable Terminal, the generic term for the set-top box required to receive digital cable.
***
HDMI.org verifies all of the above (or just read this first without reading everything above :)
Q. Does HDMI support Closed Captioning?
Close Captioning
The evolution from analog to digital TV has added some complexity to Close Captioning (CC). With one standard way of broadcasting/transmitting, decoding and displaying content NTSC or PAL, depending on region, analog TV made enabling CC fairly easy across CE devices since the TV was able to do all the CC decoding.
With the advent of digital TV and the introduction of digital HDTV services (cable, satellite, etc.) the responsibility of decoding CC has been taken away from the TVs and put into the various Set Top Boxes (STB) that are required for the majority of the digital HDTV services. Additionally, these STBs now have different ways of enabling CC making it complicated and creating confusion for consumers. All set-top boxes are required to support CC, however the implementation of CC can vary from one product to another. Enabling CC on a specific set-top box can be simple, or more difficult, depending on the implementation.
HDMI, LLC recommends contacting your TV service provider (cable, satellite, etc.) for the correct way to switch on its CC feature as a first step to resolve this issue. The second step is to contact the manufacturers directly for the correct way to enable the CC feature within your product.
How CC works in HDMI and other digital connections:
The TV remote's CC button does not enable/disable CC on HDMI sources. To enable CC, the user must enable it at the source either through a source remote control key (i.e. CC button) or by going through the setup menu of the source. The source will then combine the video content with the CC information and output that (video + CC) via HDMI to the TV.
***
Hmm. Never noticed if closed captioning worked on my digital channels (on my SD-TV). Let me see...
OK, it works on both 5 and 85. So evidently it's not a digital problem but a hi-def problem. Well I should say it's not the digital signal, but the digital TV.
***
Well, I guess I'll have to wait to get my hi-def TV first to know for sure, I guess.
***
On a related note, does Blu-Ray support closed-captioning?
Since Blu-ray is now accepted (for the most part) as the new HD disc format standard, many questions have come up about closed-captioning and subtitling for Blu-ray Disc (also referred to as BD).
First off, to get the record straight, Blu-ray does not support closed captioning. This is for a very logical reason: Subtitles can be turned on and off through the disc’s menu (just like an SD DVD), therefore there is no need to add the closed captioning option. Consequently, BD does not carry Line 21 due to its High-Definition Multimedia Interface specs (HDMI). These specs were designed to displace the older digital and analog standards.
[so does that mean every Blu-Ray disc has subtitles?]
[yes, according to reply #8]
From Wikipedia:
HD DVD and Blu-ray disc media cannot carry Line 21 closed captioning due to the design of High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specifications that were designed to replace older analog and digital standards, such as VGA, S-Video, and DVI.
***
To make it even clearer, apparently the HDMI cable does not support closed captions. And closed captions appear on an interlaced signal, so it's not supported by progressive mode either.
OK, that sucks. That means I would have to hook up my DVD/Blu-Ray player via composite cable to view closed captions on DVDs.
But apparently some DVRs support closed captioning with HDMI (see replies #5,6,8). I wonder if my Toshiba has it? [9/1/10 - don't see that option]
***
[9/1/10] Finally got my HD DVR and found (looked it up) that I can turn on closed caption as one of the options when I press the setting button on the remote. Cool.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner, 95, a journalist whose omnivorous curiosity gave rise to wide-ranging writings that popularized mathematics, explored theology and philosophy, debunked pseudoscience and dug into Lewis Carroll's beloved children's books with the gusto of an investigative reporter, died May 22 at a hospital in Norman, Okla.
His son, James Gardner, said the cause of death was not known.
A native of Tulsa, Mr. Gardner was writing stories and poems for a children's magazine in the 1950s when he submitted an article about hexaflexagons -- pieces of paper folded intricately to resemble, Mr. Gardner once said, "a budding flower" -- to Scientific American. The editor, Dennis Flanagan, was so taken with the piece that he hired Mr. Gardner to produce a regular column on recreational mathematics.
The resulting monthly feature, "Mathematical Games," ran from 1956 to 1981. It became one of Scientific American's most popular items, capturing the imagination of amateur and professional mathematicians and introducing a generation of young readers to the pleasures of problem-solving.
His son, James Gardner, said the cause of death was not known.
A native of Tulsa, Mr. Gardner was writing stories and poems for a children's magazine in the 1950s when he submitted an article about hexaflexagons -- pieces of paper folded intricately to resemble, Mr. Gardner once said, "a budding flower" -- to Scientific American. The editor, Dennis Flanagan, was so taken with the piece that he hired Mr. Gardner to produce a regular column on recreational mathematics.
The resulting monthly feature, "Mathematical Games," ran from 1956 to 1981. It became one of Scientific American's most popular items, capturing the imagination of amateur and professional mathematicians and introducing a generation of young readers to the pleasures of problem-solving.
Hackers Wanted
Delicious irony is always fun to discover, and the surfacing of an unreleased documentary from 2003 about the exploits of infamous computer hacker Adrian Lamo is just such a case. As reported by wired.com's Threat Level, the film was brought to the public eye and posted Thursday on the Swedish website The Pirate Bay through the efforts of hackers.
Lamo, shown at left earlier this month at the home of his parents in Carmichael, Calif., denied any involvement with the hackers, but such suspicion is not unwarranted since, as Threat Level put it, Lamo "made his mark in the early 2000s with a string of brazen but mostly harmless hacks against large companies," including The New York Times. He was later imprisoned briefly. The 90-minute documentary of his hacking exploits is called "Hackers Wanted" and is narrated by Kevin Spacey and includes interviews with Kevin Rose and Steve Wozniak. It was never released, until now, because of conflicts among the producers and crew, according to Threat Level.
Lamo, shown at left earlier this month at the home of his parents in Carmichael, Calif., denied any involvement with the hackers, but such suspicion is not unwarranted since, as Threat Level put it, Lamo "made his mark in the early 2000s with a string of brazen but mostly harmless hacks against large companies," including The New York Times. He was later imprisoned briefly. The 90-minute documentary of his hacking exploits is called "Hackers Wanted" and is narrated by Kevin Spacey and includes interviews with Kevin Rose and Steve Wozniak. It was never released, until now, because of conflicts among the producers and crew, according to Threat Level.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
National Research Council calls for greenhouse gas limits
In its most comprehensive study so far, the nation’s leading scientific body declared on Wednesday that climate change is a reality and is driven mostly by human activity, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
The group, the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, issued three reports describing the case for a harmful human influence on the global climate as overwhelming and arguing for strong immediate action to limit emissions of climate-altering gases in the United States and around the world — including the creation of a carbon pricing system.
Predictably, advocates of climate and energy legislation embraced the reports.
“These studies clearly demonstrate the urgency for Senate action,” said Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts and a sponsor of a climate bill introduced in the Senate this month.
Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists said: “This report should light a fire under Congress. Lawmakers should stop dragging their feet, pay attention to the science and pass a bill this session.”
The group, the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, issued three reports describing the case for a harmful human influence on the global climate as overwhelming and arguing for strong immediate action to limit emissions of climate-altering gases in the United States and around the world — including the creation of a carbon pricing system.
Predictably, advocates of climate and energy legislation embraced the reports.
“These studies clearly demonstrate the urgency for Senate action,” said Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts and a sponsor of a climate bill introduced in the Senate this month.
Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists said: “This report should light a fire under Congress. Lawmakers should stop dragging their feet, pay attention to the science and pass a bill this session.”
Sunday, June 13, 2010
trade in your bulbs
Sometimes, making a difference can be as simple as changing a light bulb -- literally -- as in switching from an old, incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent light.
Though there are clearly far larger issues to tackle, from a global-warming standpoint, the Blue Planet Foundation is encouraging people to take that one simple step by offering free CFLs to every resident on Molokai.
An average family in Hawaii can save $80 to $240 a year in energy costs with CFLs, according to the Hawaii Energy Program. A CFL requires 75 percent less energy than ordinary bulbs and has a life span 10 times longer than a regular, incandescent bulb.
What you need to know is that CFLs shouldn't be thrown into the trash because they contain small traces of mercury that can leak if broken.
Retailers like Home Depot now accept used CFLs for recycling, while Lowe's is rolling out a program soon. Local retailers like City Mill and Hardware Hawaii, however, do not. Maui County is working on a recycling program for Molokai residents.
Molokai is ahead of the times, given that incandescent bulbs will be phased out across the U.S. starting in 2012 (as approved by Congress).
Though there are clearly far larger issues to tackle, from a global-warming standpoint, the Blue Planet Foundation is encouraging people to take that one simple step by offering free CFLs to every resident on Molokai.
An average family in Hawaii can save $80 to $240 a year in energy costs with CFLs, according to the Hawaii Energy Program. A CFL requires 75 percent less energy than ordinary bulbs and has a life span 10 times longer than a regular, incandescent bulb.
What you need to know is that CFLs shouldn't be thrown into the trash because they contain small traces of mercury that can leak if broken.
Retailers like Home Depot now accept used CFLs for recycling, while Lowe's is rolling out a program soon. Local retailers like City Mill and Hardware Hawaii, however, do not. Maui County is working on a recycling program for Molokai residents.
Molokai is ahead of the times, given that incandescent bulbs will be phased out across the U.S. starting in 2012 (as approved by Congress).
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
DirGraph
DirGraph provides a graphical view of the space used by your files and directories. It allows you to navigate around this view - zooming in to see greater detail and zooming out to see the bigger picture.
It also supports colour coding its display by file dates, so you can see at a glance how much of the space used is occupied by files that haven't been accessed for an age [and that should therefore have been committed to back-up storage long ago].
It can be quite interesting to look at your system in this way: for instance did you know your games and mp3 directories was taking that much of you over-all drive space?!! No wonder there wasn't room to install the latest version of PaceMaker...
[via frwr_news]
When I ran it, I discovered that Microsoft Encarta was taking up a half a GB of space on my hard drive. I didn't even realize Encarta was even installed. And sure enough, Encarta runs. Though I don't know if I would use it with wikipedia around..
Wondering whether Encarta is now available on the net, apparently not the encyclopdedia. However a dictionary, thesaurus, and translator are available online.
Encarta as a retail product has been discontinued.
Read all about it on wikipedia. (Where else?)
It also supports colour coding its display by file dates, so you can see at a glance how much of the space used is occupied by files that haven't been accessed for an age [and that should therefore have been committed to back-up storage long ago].
It can be quite interesting to look at your system in this way: for instance did you know your games and mp3 directories was taking that much of you over-all drive space?!! No wonder there wasn't room to install the latest version of PaceMaker...
[via frwr_news]
When I ran it, I discovered that Microsoft Encarta was taking up a half a GB of space on my hard drive. I didn't even realize Encarta was even installed. And sure enough, Encarta runs. Though I don't know if I would use it with wikipedia around..
Wondering whether Encarta is now available on the net, apparently not the encyclopdedia. However a dictionary, thesaurus, and translator are available online.
Encarta as a retail product has been discontinued.
Read all about it on wikipedia. (Where else?)
Monday, May 31, 2010
how to recycle right
Now that Honolulu has extended curbside recycling to the Leeward side, every household on the isle should be equipped with three city and county-issued trash bins, in blue, green and gray.
It will take more effort to rinse and sort your opala, but you'll get the hang of it -- and you'll be glad you're doing your part to keep these items out of landfills, which none of us wants in our own back yard.
Although filling the bins would seem to be a matter of using common sense, there are limitations to what can and cannot be put into the respective bins. For instance, some things that are accepted for recycling in other counties are not accepted here. Here's a primer:
» The green bin: Grass clippings, tree and hedge trimmings, leaves, palm fronds and Christmas trees go here. The plant matter is mulched and turned back into potting soil, which goes back to your garden.
Everything in the green bin goes to a composting facility, so none of your mixed recyclables belong here.
Plastic bags also do not belong in here, but county recycling director Suzanne Jones said the city is allowing residents to use it occasionally to keep grass from clumping at the bottom. However, "We ask people to avoid using bags as much as possible."
» The blue bin: This is for mixed recyclables such as aluminum cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles (Nos. 1 and 2), newspaper and corrugated cardboard.
Beverage containers do not have to be labeled HI5 to go in the blue bin. The HI5 label means you can get 5 cents back at a redemption center (you might want to do that instead).
Though the directions seem pretty straightforward, you might want to know that corrugated cardboard (the kind that's double-thick, with ridges in between) does not include cereal boxes, tissue boxes or egg cartons.
Some pizza delivery boxes might qualify, but Jones asks that you try to scrape off the cheese first.
White and colored office paper do not go into the blue bin, either. These can be recycled at community bins found at most public schools, where you can also drop off stapled papers but not envelopes, magazines or shredded paper.
» The gray bin: Everything that does not go into green or blue bins goes in the gray bin -- the trash bin. Waste is taken to the HPOWER waste-to-energy facility on Oahu.
This includes phone books, tin cans and egg cartons.
Whatever your views about HPOWER, Jones says the county has determined it's more efficient to burn egg cartons into energy rather than to ship them offshore for recycling.
» Sorting it out: To figure out which plastics go in the blue bin, look for the number inside a triangle typically placed on the bottom of the object. Nos. 1 and 2 are acceptable. These usually include plastic food containers that hold cold foods, like the strawberries from Costco. The same goes for shampoo and liquid soap bottles.
Bottle caps do not go into the blue bin. Nor do yogurt cups, which are usually plastic No. 5.
Where does it all go? Most of Honolulu's paper and plastic gets shipped to various markets in the Pacific -- mainly China -- to be re-purposed into other materials. Glass goes to the West Coast.
Glass is recycled into new bottles or "glasphalt" road pavement, while aluminum can easily be melted down. Plastic is re-purposed into lumber, carpet and textiles, while newspapers and cardboard get a new life as new newsprint, boxes and tissue paper.
If you accidentally put something in the blue bin that does not belong, don't fret: A team sorts through all the stuff as it travels along a conveyor belt. For a peek, go to www.opala.org.
For questions on curbside recycling, call 768-3200 or visit www.opala.org/solid_waste/curbside.htm.
Nina Wu writes a column about environmental issues on the first Monday of every month. E-mail her at nwu@starbulletin.com.
***
[6/7/10] If you're really determined to recycle magazines (and phone books and paperback books), you can drop them off at Hagadone.
It will take more effort to rinse and sort your opala, but you'll get the hang of it -- and you'll be glad you're doing your part to keep these items out of landfills, which none of us wants in our own back yard.
Although filling the bins would seem to be a matter of using common sense, there are limitations to what can and cannot be put into the respective bins. For instance, some things that are accepted for recycling in other counties are not accepted here. Here's a primer:
» The green bin: Grass clippings, tree and hedge trimmings, leaves, palm fronds and Christmas trees go here. The plant matter is mulched and turned back into potting soil, which goes back to your garden.
Everything in the green bin goes to a composting facility, so none of your mixed recyclables belong here.
Plastic bags also do not belong in here, but county recycling director Suzanne Jones said the city is allowing residents to use it occasionally to keep grass from clumping at the bottom. However, "We ask people to avoid using bags as much as possible."
» The blue bin: This is for mixed recyclables such as aluminum cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles (Nos. 1 and 2), newspaper and corrugated cardboard.
Beverage containers do not have to be labeled HI5 to go in the blue bin. The HI5 label means you can get 5 cents back at a redemption center (you might want to do that instead).
Though the directions seem pretty straightforward, you might want to know that corrugated cardboard (the kind that's double-thick, with ridges in between) does not include cereal boxes, tissue boxes or egg cartons.
Some pizza delivery boxes might qualify, but Jones asks that you try to scrape off the cheese first.
White and colored office paper do not go into the blue bin, either. These can be recycled at community bins found at most public schools, where you can also drop off stapled papers but not envelopes, magazines or shredded paper.
» The gray bin: Everything that does not go into green or blue bins goes in the gray bin -- the trash bin. Waste is taken to the HPOWER waste-to-energy facility on Oahu.
This includes phone books, tin cans and egg cartons.
Whatever your views about HPOWER, Jones says the county has determined it's more efficient to burn egg cartons into energy rather than to ship them offshore for recycling.
» Sorting it out: To figure out which plastics go in the blue bin, look for the number inside a triangle typically placed on the bottom of the object. Nos. 1 and 2 are acceptable. These usually include plastic food containers that hold cold foods, like the strawberries from Costco. The same goes for shampoo and liquid soap bottles.
Bottle caps do not go into the blue bin. Nor do yogurt cups, which are usually plastic No. 5.
Where does it all go? Most of Honolulu's paper and plastic gets shipped to various markets in the Pacific -- mainly China -- to be re-purposed into other materials. Glass goes to the West Coast.
Glass is recycled into new bottles or "glasphalt" road pavement, while aluminum can easily be melted down. Plastic is re-purposed into lumber, carpet and textiles, while newspapers and cardboard get a new life as new newsprint, boxes and tissue paper.
If you accidentally put something in the blue bin that does not belong, don't fret: A team sorts through all the stuff as it travels along a conveyor belt. For a peek, go to www.opala.org.
For questions on curbside recycling, call 768-3200 or visit www.opala.org/solid_waste/curbside.htm.
Nina Wu writes a column about environmental issues on the first Monday of every month. E-mail her at nwu@starbulletin.com.
***
[6/7/10] If you're really determined to recycle magazines (and phone books and paperback books), you can drop them off at Hagadone.
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