Wednesday, October 31. 2007
The Sith arrive at last, courtesy of the British government. (Watch the first 30s)
Tuesday, October 30. 2007
Seen today in #haskell:
<newsham> you see an opening to the north. The light shining through reveals a small booklet near the base of the door. There is a small compiler here.
Tuesday, October 30. 2007
Last year, as we were planning our move, I knew we would need to buy a new TV antenna. According to AntennaWeb (a very useful site), we are in the violet (or "fat chance") zone for several TV stations. Add to that the fact that we have a tin-covered building pretty much in the direct path to several of the transmitter. Metal buildings often cause "multipathing", where a signal bounces off buildings and arrives multiple times at the antenna. This causes ghosting on analog signals and can cause problems getting a signal lock on digital ones. We also have a fairly long run from the antenna to the receiver (a MythTV box) and are wanting to receive digital signals. Not only that, but the TV transmitters are in different areas about 40 degrees apart, and most high-gain antennas are also highly directional. So it's a difficult situation.
So in our situation, an outdoor antenna is a must. At our old place, we had used the best outdoor antenna Radio Shack sold. Despite having more friendly reception conditions, it didn't work well.
After a good deal of research, I bought a Terk TV38 outdoor antenna from Amazon. It comes with:
- The antenna, at a large 12.5 feet long, 9.25 feet wide, 2.6 feet high (though packaged in a much smaller carton)
- A 5-foot mast
- Chimney mount
- Wall mount
- Transformer (for direct connection to coax cabling)
- Various mounting hardware
It comes with the hardware you need to mount it in an attic or attach it to an exterior wall or chimney in most situations. However, we wanted to attach it to the roof directly, so we purchased a tripod mount from RadioShack for that purpose. I had also purchased some quad-shield RG6 coax from Cat5ECableGuy.Com.
I assembled the antenna on the ground. That took some time, but wasn't difficult. But this was in winter, a fairly wet winter, and I knew that weather wouldn't cooperate well enough for us to get the antenna up on our roof safely some Saturday for a few weeks. So I thought I'd just leave the antenna on the ground for a little while, hook it up, and see if we get anything. I put it on the ground, aimed it about in the middle of the TV transmitters, and went to set up the MythTV.
I was shocked to discover that, even with the antenna on the ground, I got a perfect digital picture on all channels but one. Once we got the antenna mounted on the roof, reception has been perfect. I've had no need for actuators (to rotate the antenna) or amplifiers. Just the antenna itself, even with the long coax run, has performed quite well.
For anyone that needs an outdoor antenna, I highly recommend the Terk TV38.
Saturday, October 20. 2007
Wednesday, October 17. 2007
Note: red underlined links are clickable
flickr photo page for this post
Wednesday, October 17. 2007
A few days ago, I wrote about my recent purchase of an old Smith-Corona manual typewriter built in 1944. Terah and I were at an antique store, and it was $25 and sorta an impulse buy.
Since then, something unexpected has happened: I'm getting interested in using manual typewriters.
I've been busily tracking down ribbons (Nukote BW277 doesn't work on it, even though their website says it does), typing paper (business-supplies.com has it at a decent price with free overnight shipping on most orders over $50), and various tidbits of knowledge (such as: what does the lever numbered 0 to 6 beneath the right ribbon spool do?)
Today I went to a local office supply store. Not OfficeMax or OfficeDepot -- they do carry ribbons for typewriters of this era, but not the right ones for my particular machine. But the store that has been owned by the same family since it opened in 1899 on Main Street, where it remains.
And, surprise, they had the ribbon I need!
It seems that typewriters are experiencing a certain resurgence in popularity. People that have computers -- and perhaps never knew a world without them -- are buying typewriters. Because of interest, novelty, or even usefulness. There are quite a few typewriter repair shops that still exist, most of them happy to work on typewriters up to a century old.
So why am I excited about it?
Part of it is the fun of making a really old piece of technology work.
Perhaps part of it is knowing that I'll be typing at a machine that was built the same year as D-Day, the year when the first German city fell in World War II. Part of it is knowing that this 40-pound machine was built to last, in an era before planned obsolescence. And, to a certain extent, it has outlasted its manufacturer.
Part of it is curiosity: will I write differently on a typewriter than a computer? It seems that most people that have tried both say that their writing is different on a typewriter, and often better. Perhaps it is the difficulty of editing that forces more rigorous thought up front.
Christopher Watkins wrote:
[Manual typewriters] just plain shame me into working. As with any fine instrument, they're made to be used, their very design bespeaks this, and there's been many a night I've caught one of my typewriters glaring sternly at me from the shadows, implicating me in a grand failure to honor their structural destinies. Chagrined and challenged, I dutifully sit down to see what I can do to contribute to the machine-age legacy I've been called on to uphold. . .
When you sit down to write a song at the piano, you're going to write differently than if you have a banjo in your lap. And if one instrument isn't bringing the magic and the muse, maybe another will. Typewriters are the same; they make me write in a different fashion, and also provide an alternate trigger for inspiration. And as an electric guitar is different from an acoustic steel-string guitar is different from a nylon-string classical guitar is different from a national steel resonator guitar; so does each individual typewriter differ. My Underwood is different from my Royal is different from my Remington is different from my Corona is different from my Hermes. And if one isn't giving me the juice, another might.
Brian Drake added (emphasis mine):
Or you print out the document again because someone misplaced it. Misplaced it! When we were on typewriters, let me tell you, no one misplaced a hundred-page contract! That meant another two days of typing, and tying up at least two secretaries to get it done then. . .
Gore Vidal said he could tell when a book had been written on a word processor. I can, too. Sometimes I can see the cut-and-paste.
I've worked as a professional proofreader and copyeditor, and I can attest that the computer has not led to better writing. What it has led to is more writing, acres and acres of it. Books have grown fatter and fatter while their content grows slimmer and slimmer.
These seem to resonate well. More typewriter essays here.
And perhaps a typewritten blog post or two, once I try out my new ribbon.
Wednesday, October 17. 2007
Sunday, October 14. 2007
Yesterday, Terah and I were in a store selling used items. I spotted a good deal: a used printer for $25. Here are some of its features:
- Support for paper as wide as 13.3 inches
- Printing clear to the left and right edges
- Continuous imaging, not based around dots or pixels (therefore, no DPI measurement)
- Audible warning tone
- 2-color RK (red and black) printing
- Ink cartridges cost $3.49 at Office Depot
- Professional font built in, ideal for business or personal use
- Very low electricity consumption. Can run for extended periods of time without being plugged in.
- Programmable hardware margins and tabs, remembered across jobs in NVRAM
- Print speed up to 0.48 pages per minute at average complexity, but this can be doubled or tripled by using the instant copy feature (requires carbon paper, sold separately)
- Built-in typewriter emulation mode. People that used WordPerfect for DOS might remember this feature, where you could press a key and the letter would be printed immediately on dot-matrix or daisy-wheel typewriters.
- All-metal case and mechanism. Little or no plastic.
- Made in the USA.
- Manufacturer: L. C. Smith & Corona Typewriters, Inc.
- Built in 1944
- Still works
Here are some photos:
Friday, October 12. 2007
Here's an interesting and probably controversial article. It starts with:
When I hear people my age (35+) rip the younger generation I usually keep my mouth shut. But I have something I need to say, so this is my public response to the people who think there is something wrong with young people today.
Let me tell you what I think about young people:
The kids coming of age right now are the greatest generation, and we don’t give them the respect and freedom we were given and it is shameful.
And it goes on from there.
Also I should point out that George Bush is a baby boomer.
Wednesday, October 10. 2007
A couple of years ago, I had an apparent lapse of judgement and bought a 21" Dell LCD because it seemed to be a good monitor and a good price. Even after my earlier experiences with Dell.
Last winter, it developed an odd dim area in the shape of an L. It was under warranty.
I made the mistake of contacting Dell support. It probably took 2-3 hours of calling before they agreed to replace it. I'm pretty sure I said each of these things to them at least 5 times:
- No, it does not have an Express Service Tag. It has only a serial number tag, and no, it is not the same format as the Express Service Tag.
- No, my computer doesn't have an Express Service Tag either. It is not a Dell computer.
- Yes, it is possible to use a Dell monitor with another kind of computer.
- Yes, I did buy the monitor from Dell. Would you like the order number?
- No, hooking it up to another computer doesn't change it. Do you remember I told you that the area looks green even when the monitor is OFF?
- I was just talking to someone else, who was going to transfer me to some other department, but (hung up on me, sent me to a busy signal, sent me to a menu that accepts no input) instead.
Eventually I spoke to somebody that understood the concept of a serial number and agreed to send me a replacement monitor. I made the mistake of giving them a shipping address for that.
Ever since then, they have sent me stupid catalogs.
NO, DELL, I DO NOT WANT TO BUY A FLAMINGO PINK INSPIRON NOTEBOOK
that is what I think each week when I get such a catalog.
I have gone to their website to try to get off of these mailings. They have different privacy forms for their different units (home, small business, etc.), and I sent in a removal form for all of them. That didn't help. I called their customer service department, and after getting the run around yet again, they said they'd take me off right away. That didn't help either. This was all months ago. They are blatantly violating their stated privacy policy.
Today I got another magazine. Featuring Flamingo Pink inspirons yet again. And a page that says "Raze your standards." Need I say more?
I will therefore be following the advice of Junkbusters.com and will file a Prohibitory Order against Dell at my earliest convenience. That's the first time I've been motivated to do that.
And if they don't honor that, they'll be hearing from the postal inspectors.
Dell has now become my most despised company ever. Yes, even more than Sprint.
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Comments
Thu, 15.05.2008 05:01
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Thu, 15.05.2008 00:24
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Wed, 14.05.2008 16:58
Sure, it's only modifiable if it's a pointer... but pointers are the only practical way to pass many things: strin [...]
Wed, 14.05.2008 16:47
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Wed, 14.05.2008 16:22
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Tue, 13.05.2008 18:59
I have heard that argument bef ore, and frankly, I'm unconvin ced. I am not aware of any Am erican jurisdiction wher [...]
Tue, 13.05.2008 18:55
What a wonderful point and pos t. You're quite right, and it 's high time we all revisit th e notion that legality d [...]
Tue, 13.05.2008 18:52
Quite right. Article fixed ab ove.