Just watched Foolproof (2003) last night. Really enjoyed it, and because of the story. No flashy effects, not much violence. Just a good story.
Check it out the next time you’re in the video store. And it’s Canadian.
Archive for May, 2004
Foolproof (2003) A movie that relies on story to be good
Monday, May 31st, 2004Apple iPod
Monday, May 31st, 2004As noted earlier, I’ve been looking at portable music players. Bought an Apple iPod, and so far, so good.
It’s a reasonable size (although probably a bit large for jogging). Stores tons of songs (got the 20GB version), sounds good and a good interface design.
I’ve read about the battery issue. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, search for ipod battery problem in any search engine, and start reading. Reports vary, but the battery doesn’t appear to be any worse than other Li-Ion batteries. The big thing is the process of replacing the battery and the cost. I figure a third-party battery will do the trick, and I can replace it myself. That way it isn’t as expensive (about $49 US for the battery).
One other great option for me is Belkin has made a Media Reader accessory for the iPod. What this allows you to do is copy files off a memory card. This means I don’t have to buy any more cards for my camera as long as I have the iPod with me.
One thing Apple did which doesn’t make sense. The 20GB version ships with a docking station. To me, this means I can take the dock and hook it to my pc. Well, I can, BUT I have to use the 1 cable that came in the package. This means I can’t have the dock permanently connected to my pc, and also have it hooked up somewhere else. I have to keep connecting and disconnecting the cable. Major oversite (or another instance of a company wanting to make more money by selling another cable). I’ll be writing an email to them about this, and I’ll see what sort of response I get…
Pegasus Mail v4.2 Released
Sunday, May 30th, 2004For those of you that use it, check out the new features here.
I haven’t tested it yet, but I’ve never had problems installing the latest version.
CreativeMuVo Slim MP3 Player
Friday, May 28th, 2004Looking for a portable music player, and really like the new MP3 players. Debated about hard drive vs flash memory based, and decided to go with memory. 256MB is good for about 5 albums, and it doesn’t take that long to load new music, plus it’s less expensive to start. Also definitely shock resistant!
First attempt is the Creative MuVo Slim. Bought one and started using it. First, it is very tiny. The display is reasonably sharp inside, and backlit so probably not bad outside either. Built in FM tuner and recording capabilities. It even comes with a case.
The sound with the supplied headphones is reasonable, but hook up a good pair of headphones and the sound is significantly improved.
The controls are straightforward, and it doesn’t take long to get the feel for it. 3 buttons on the top plus a slider that can also be pushed. 2 of the buttons are for volume. The third is the power switch (when held down) and play/pause otherwise.
The slider/pusher controls everything else. Slide it one way or the other and it does next/prev track. Press it and the menu pops up where everything else is controlled.
The biggest drawback is it isn’t expandable. Some of the players allow for use of an SD/MMC/Memory stick to expand there storage capacity, but not this one.
I’ll use it for awhile and see if the lack of space becomes a real issue. For day-to-day use, it is probably fine, but if I’m away from a computer for an extended timeframe, something else might be better (can you say iPod?)
Lord of the Rings spoof
Friday, May 21st, 2004For all you Lord of the Rings fans, here’s a spoof video
Blogging Software
Wednesday, May 19th, 2004I’ve now switched to WordPress for my blogging. Allows for more customizations and also RSS feeds.
Car Manufacturers
Wednesday, May 19th, 2004Who owns whom? Here’s a long article, and it may surprise you how few real owners there are.
Hybrid Vehicles and Emergency services
Monday, May 17th, 2004Just watched an interesting commentary regarding Hybrids and a collision.
Hybrids rely on high voltage power to run their electric motor. Around 500V. This means high voltage wires run through the door (at least right now) so emergency crews are being told not to cut through the doors, but to remove the roof.
So, those high voltage batteries could be very dangerous in a collision if a wire gets cut and shorts out on the body and gets grounded through a passenger.
More on CD/DVD handling
Thursday, May 6th, 2004Seems to be a hot topic right now. This is from the Globe and Mail but I’ve copied the text here as I don’t know how long they archive these things.
Appears storing CDs on the spool may not be a great idea as they recommend storing them vertical and being very careful of the tops (yes, you read that correctly, the top!) The recorded surface is closer to the top than to the bottom, so therefore the top is more sensitive to damage. More likely that a minor scratch on the top will expose the recorded layer to the air, which will then cause mold and rust to accumulate.
I’ll have to reconsider my storage of backups. I guess I’ll need a lot of jewel cases now…
Do:
- Handle discs by the outer edge or the centre hole. Your fingerprints may be acidic enough to damage the disc.
- Use a felt-tip permanent marker to mark the label side of a CD. The marker should be water-based or alcohol-based. In general, these will be labeled "nontoxic." Stronger solvents may eat through the thin protective layer to the data.
- Keep discs clean. Wipe with cotton fabric in a straight line from the centre of the disc toward the outer edge. If you wipe in a circle, any scratches may follow the tracks of the CD, rendering them unreadable. Use CD/DVD-cleaning detergent, isopropyl alcohol, or methanol to remove stubborn dirt.
- Return discs to their plastic cases immediately after use.
- Store discs upright (book style) in their cases.
- Store discs in a cool, dry, dark place with clean air.
- Open a recordable disc package only when you are ready to record.
- Check the disc surface before recording.
Do not:
- Touch the surface of the disc.
- Bend the disc. This may cause the layers to separate.
- Use adhesive labels, since they can warp the disc or unbalance it.
- Expose discs to extreme heat or high humidity. Don’t leave them in sun-warmed cars, for instance.
- Expose discs to extremely rapid temperature or humidity changes.
- Expose recordable discs to prolonged sunlight or other sources of ultraviolet light.
For CDs especially do not:
- Scratch the label side of the disc. It’s more sensitive than the transparent side.
- Use a pen, pencil, or fine-tip marker to write on the disc.
- Try to peel off or reposition a label. Again, you risk unbalancing the disc.
New Car
Wednesday, May 5th, 2004We’ve bought a new car (or at least agreed to purchase one). It’s being ordered from the factory and isn’t expected until the middle to end of July.
We’ve wanted a new car for awhile, as we like the idea of something with more storage than our Camry. Also, we go camping once or twice a year, using a folding trailer, and we’ve decided to buy a new one. The new one can weigh 2500 lbs when loaded and the Camry’s only rated for 2000 lbs. I would rather not push it.
So, we don’t want a minivan or SUV, so that leaves a station wagon. Not many choices there. Taurus, Mazda6, Passat, V70, 325 Touring, C320, Avant.
When put in a list like that, it looks like a lot of choice, but… we need to be able to tow 2500 lbs of trailer, and we also want something reliable. The Taurus, Mazda6 and Passat are out on towing or reliability. The Passat is rated for 2000 lbs. The Taurus for 1700 lbs (and I don’t trust it’s reliability) and Mazda says not to tow ANYTHING!.
The Audi Avant is basically an upscale Passat, so it also has a 2000 lb limit, and the A6 Avant starts at $80,000. More money than we want to spend.
The BMW and Mercedes are also on the expensive side, so that leaves one vehicle from the list. A Volvo V70. It’s rated to tow 3300 lbs, so will easily handle our trailer. It drives very nicely, the new design is very sharp, lots of storage capacity. Good performance (except for the 2.4 model), great safety record, good reliability record, and since they don’t have the name of BMW or Mercedes, they aren’t as expensive.
So we should have a Nautic Blue Metallic with Light Taupe interior V70 T5 in our driveway sometime in July! We can hardly wait…
Investment Advice
Wednesday, May 5th, 2004Just came across this site. Have started reading it and definitely worth looking at if you’re considering DIY investing in Canada
CD Burning and Reliability
Tuesday, May 4th, 2004Just read this article. Very interesting information. Here’s a summary.
- For maximum reliability, burn at 1/3 the max speed of the burner
- Use name-brand media from manufacturers that make their own media. Key manufacturers of media include MAM-A, Ritek, SKC, Taiyo Yuden, and Verbatim Data Life Plus (Mitsubishi Chemical). Stay away from generic discs or those that are store-name branded. This is especially true for critical applications.
- Use disc-at-once. Track-at-once produces errors on the disc, often rectified on playback via error correction. In addition, track-at-once discs do not conform to the Red Book specifications.
- For labeling, do not use a ballpoint pen or an alcohol-based pen.