Upgrade Fever®

HDTV Photographs

When I view my photographs through the Windows Media Center software, I especially enjoy the built-in pan and zoom effect.  But if my images are shot in 1600x1200 size they are not in the HDTV format.  While still good pictures, many cameras shoot in 4x3 aspect ratio.

For example (4x3 aspect ratio) 4 divided by 3 = 1.3333 and 1600 divided by 1200 = 1.3333

Try and see if your camera shoots in 16x9 aspect ratio.  My Canon A710 actually has a mode that says "Widescreen" and is 3072x1728.  This is correct for HDTV.

For example (16x9 aspect ratio) 16 divided by 9 = 1.7777 and 3072 divided by 1728 = 1.7777

So look for a size that divides into 1.7777 and you'll know it's 16x9 or HDTV.  FYI 1080p and 1080i are both 1920x1080 which divides into 1.7777

AVG Free AntiVirus Goes 8.0

It now has a Vista-style look.  I'm speaking of the new AVG Free Antivirus 8.0 which was just released.   Reading the user comments around the web, it seems 50-50 whether or not people like it so far.  I can't make up my mind yet either.  One thing that is really annoying, is shutting off the link scanner will cause an exclamation icon to stay on in the tray area.  Even with some room for improvement you can get it here.

Apple 2 GS Laptop

Saw this post over at Engadet.com, about an Apple 2 GS made into a laptop.  This was done by a guy named Benjamin Heckendorn.  He's got madd mod skillz!  Check it out here.

Who's Your Daddy?

A few years back I was taking a training class.  This involved using computers and working with a client database.  The instructor wanted the students to come up with fictional names for the FIRST NAME, LAST NAME fields.  Before I found out there is no DELETE option (in the training session), I typed WHOS URDADDY.

For a moment I thought I was clever because it would show up on the projector screen in front of the class, we'd have our laugh, and I would change or delete it right away.  So I thought.  Instead, the instructor got mad, really mad.  It was as if I typed in something really obscene.  But I guess this phrase can have an offensive meaning.

One background on it's usuage can be found on WikiAnswers here, or in this article here.  You may also recall the line from the song Time of the Season, "What's your name?  Who's Your Daddy?  Is he rich - like me?"

Stuffit 12 Trial Download

Back in the day, on the MAC it was either CompactPRO or Stuffit Deluxe to handle file compression needs, especially during those 14.4kbps (and slower) file xfers!  Nowadays Stuffit is available for the PC as well, and helps maintain cross platform file integrity if you transfer from MAC to PC and back.  I don't use it that much anymore, but it's still a great utility nonetheless.  For a trial version of the product, head here for version 12.

How To Call Another Country

Sometimes, it takes a situation (i.e. someone loses their wallet), for a person to realize how easy good it is in their country.  Trying to send money to Singapore I found out a few things relavent to mine:

1. Outside of the USA they call wire transfers "telegraphic transfer".  And doing one is not as easy as setting up an electronic funds transfer!  Most likely this involves a trip to your local bank.
2. Singapore is one of those places that we like to think of as a City-State.  In other words, it's not like Los Angeles, California but more like Singapore, Singapore.  Take a look at Washington, D.C. or here for more examples.
3. It's always good to have resources when you can't remember stuff like how to call another country.  I usually use this Internet resource when planning vacation, but at timeanddate.com they also have a link to assist with dialing another country.

Save Money on Contact Lenses

Recently, I placed an order for my contact lenses via 800contacts.  I did it because it would probably save me money and a trip to Costco.  But it turns out using Costco may have saved me perhaps $20.  Check out the potential savings for different brands here.

Star Trek Enterprise Ships

As we all should know, Capt. Kirk is the only real Captain of the Galaxy Class Starship spaceship Enterprise.  But because there seems to be confusion, probably due to a rift in the time-space continuum, boldly go to Wikipedia to read about the different Enterprise vessels.

Nokia N96 Preview

Very powerful cellphone it seems.  Check out the Nokia N96 preview here.

New Car Stereo System for iPod

My car is almost 10 years old and with that is a stereo system minus an mp3 port.  Sure I could try and mod the CD Player (you remember CD's, don't you?) to an input for my iPod.  But it might just be worth the extra $$$ to go for a new front end which has HD radio, GPS and etc., like the Kenwood DNX8120.  Have no idea on price, but their website gets into features here.