ulmer.org

Panasonic VIERA X1 Series TC-L26X1

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

So after many years of service, the 19" color television that my wife had we we got married has been retired. Oh, it still works — we've just re-arranged our guest room in anticipation of a new arrival and it doesn't fit on the dresser very well. So we gave it away and ordered this thing:

[asa]B001UE6MA2[/asa]

Which certainly isn't a theater-quality device, but will do just fine for whoever helps us out after the download. We originally targeted a 32" Phillips TV:

[asa]B001LPE31U[/asa]

which we could have acquired at our local Wal-Mart. We simply thought that the 32" might be a little to big for the application. Unfortunately there seems to be a price floor for this kind of product. Once you get into a television that you're willing to watch, it doesn't seem to matter how small you make it — they're all $400 or more...

At any rate, the television comes with a docking station for an iPod. This can be used to turn it into a "mini" entertainment center. Since we had an unused iPod in our house, we assigned it to this room. Now we can easily setup "movie night" for a guest if they'd like. I'm thinking that our new arrival may eventually have a portable entertainment library of their own...

S-Video, DVDs, and Televisions -- Oh Why?

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

About a year and a half ago I "cleaned up" the morass of cables living behind my entertainment center. Of course I wound up with some signal cables too close to some AC lines, and since I've had a beautiful criss-cross interference pattern on my television when I select the DVD player on the pre-amp. Somehow, the natural beauty created by the current induced on our existing s-video cable is completely lost on the other members of my family. I don't know why... I mean you can almost use the DVD menu system!

At any rate, I purchased this s-video cable since it was marketed as "quad-shielded":

[asa]B000BQU4OU[/asa]

and it made no difference whatsoever... This is a very well-made cable – I highly recommend it if you actually need an s-video cable! That wasn't my problem, however.

I spent some more time crawling around behind my entertainment center. I swapped more cables, tried different inputs on the television, different outputs on the DVD player, removed my pre-amp from the equation, and then finally tried an entirely different television connected directly to the DVD player. The problem is, of course, the DVD player – it just adds the pattern to its own output. It's always the last place you look...

So I ordered this DVD player:

[asa]B002JCSBDK[/asa]

It'll be useful in the household for quite a while, I think. It up-converts and has HDMI outputs, so any new televisions will connect without issue. Of course my current set-up is not HDMI-enabled, and I was determined not to turn an $11 cable problem into $4000 of television and A/V receiver. Alas, the final factor in picking this model was that it has both s-video and SP/DIF outputs!

Take a look around for recent DVD players that support s-video. No really, I'll wait... Not so easy, huh? You'd think that it would be a no-brainer to have the plug on the back, since the signals are already available inside the device. Most current DVD players have HDMI, component, and composite – but no s-video. Well, I can't video-switch component, there is no HDMI on the television (or anywhere else for that matter), and composite is soooo 1956. Decision made.

After placing the order, I found a fairly complete list of features at CyberTheater, as well as a good explanation of the XDE technology at current.com.

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Barack Obama's Health Care Speech

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Apparently, the POTUS thinks that American Citizens are incapable of listening to and analyzing the few thousand words of his address on healthcare reform... Never mind that he still doesn't understand that he is the president of a Constitutional Republic, citing our nation as "...the most advanced democracy on Earth...that allows such hardships for millions of its people." Well, that's technically true (the hardship part) – but other nations allow completely different hardships.

It's pretty clear that government health care is all about consilidation of power. Now they want to remove the most fundamental vestiges of liberty, i.e., health and security of my person. All under the subterfuge of providing for the "less fortunate". Whatever...

Quincy over at The Liberty Papers has written a line-by-line analysis of a portion of the address. Definitely worth a read:

Barack Obama’s Newspeak on Health Care - thelibertypapers.org

TSA "Response" to my complaint

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:45:00 -0400

This is a copy of the response I received from the TSA about my complaint:

Thank you for your e-mail.

The Transportation Security Administration's current security screening procedures require all carry-on luggage and accessible property be screened before passengers take them onboard an aircraft. Regardless of whether an item is on the prohibited or permitted items list, the Transportation Security Officers (TSO's) have discretion to prohibit an individual from carrying an item through the screening checkpoint or onboard an aircraft if the item poses a security threat.

Therefore, TSA security screening personnel make the final decision on whether to permit items like a Tide pen into the sterile area of the airport. Should you need additional assistance, feel free to contact us at toll free 866-289-9673.

Please visit our website at www.tsa.gov (http://www.tsa.gov/) for additional information about TSA. We continue to add new information and encourage you to check the website frequently for updated information.

We hope this information is helpful.

TSA Contact Center

My TSA complaint

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:30:00 -0400

This is the copy I received of the complaint I filed using the free wireless access from the secure area of the Gainesville, FL (GNV) airport.

To: tsa-contactcenter@dhs.gov
Category: Complaints
Sub Category: All Other Complaints

Message:

While passing through security at the Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV), my Tide(R) pen was confiscated from my quart zipper-top bag by a TSA agent.

When asked why, I was told that bleach was not allowed on the airplane. When I pointed out that the product does not contain bleach, I was told that all hazardous substances were not allowed. I asked that about the soap and water inside the Tide pen was hazardous, and was told to "get going".

I can understand an agent at a busy airport having a bad day -- but GNV is by no means busy, the TSA checkpoint was (over)-fully staffed, and there was no reason to confiscate my item.

It is very clear to me that the agent made a mistake and then didn't want to admit to that mistake in front of his co-workers or a customer, there was very little that was professional about out interaction.

I have the right to understand why items are confiscated form me - particularly common items that I have flown with -- form the same airport, with the same agent checking my bag -- dozens of times.

Please educate your agents, and maybe start looking out for security rather than buys-work.

Regards,
Stephen Ulmer

Remember, Federal is Professional...

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:10:00 -0400

Yet another example of idiocy provided by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA): While travelling from Gainesville, FL (GNV) to Atlanta, GA (ATL) on Delta airlines, my Tide Pen was confiscated.

Why am I angry about this? Well, I can tell you it's not because of the $4 that my government has illegally confiscated -- if that bothered me I'd make a FairTax reference. No, I'm angry because the reason that my Tide Pen was confiscated is because the dolt of a TSA agent arbitrarily decided that he was going to take mine. That's it. More you say?

So the agent looks at the items in my 1 qt. zipper-top bag, removes my Tide Pen, and then tells me that I can't have that in the airport. When asked why, I was told that you can't take bleach on an airplane. Well duh. So I pointed out that the confiscated product did not contain any bleach what-so-ever. I was then told that all hazardous substances were banned form airplanes. Okay. So i asked what about the product was hazardous, and if the rules had been change recently. That was when I was told to move along. So the guy who has probably just figured out that he is a federal employee has refused to answer my question.

While cro mangon man was pointedly ignoring me, I asked to speak to a supervisor. It was at this point he told me that I should move along or face arrest. For asking a question in a not-busy third-tier airport after having been deprived of my property? Arrest?

Had I been traveling under different circumstances, I might have called his bluff -- I could do with owning where-ever this guy lives...

Renewed Interest in Music

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0400

I listen almost exclusively to talk radio and music to which I've danced. Of course there is the occasional southern rock band, or novelty record. Okay, lots of novelty records...but I digress.

WSKY, 97.3 FM, is a local News/Talk station in Gainesville, FL. Some of the local jocks had been using tunes by The Right Brothers as bumper music. Well one of them managed to get the the whole band (both of them) as guests on an afternoon show. They're hilarious! In particular, I like their song, "What About the Issues?" (free download)

They composed this song after getting several thousand emails, of which only two were interested in having an actual persuasive discussion -- the rest were just as you might expect from the title. Their music seems to be varied in style: I would describe some of it as metal and some as country (go figure). These guys appear to be real musicians -- not synthesizer pilots. They lyrics are what you might expect if Rush had had Neal Boortz writing their songs instead of Neil Pert -- well, if Boortz had been introduced to them before Libertarianism had taken over his entire brain.

Come to think of it, I'd like to hear a collaboration by those two...

Sell Me What's On the Label!

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0500

One of my pet peeves is when a store tries to hide the fact that they're selling me a returned item.

Now don't get me wrong, I'll buy the price-reduced open-box item at Best Buy before I'll buy the new one. However, in that case, the store actually lists what's missing from the package. At the very least, they've marked the item such that I can compare it to a new one and decide for myself if I'm willing to accept it instead of a new one.

I went to the local Lowe's Home Improvement Store yesterday to buy some sandpaper. I picked up a roll of adhesive backed paper that's labelled "4 1/2in x 10yds, 120 grit" -- it's clearly a roll of 80 grit sandpaper. How can the person who accepted that return possibly be worth whatever they're paid to work there. I understand that not everyone is handy, but it's hard to mistake 80 grit paper for 120 grit paper.

But wait, there's more!

I pick up another roll of paper that's maybe 1/3 the size of the first roll -- and it has the same stinkin' label. Obviously these rolls of sandpaper can't be the same length! So I took both packages to the service desk and explained that I wanted to complain. After only 5 minutes of explaining I managed to convince them that maybe someone should go look at all of the paper on the display (I'm still pretty sure that they didn't understand that two identical products shouldn't be different shapes, sizes and weights).

So I came home and ordered everything I needed from Online Industrial Supply Corporation, who ironically has better prices.

80/20 Rule

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0500

So about 80% of the content form the old web page is now in Wordpress. You know what that means -- I'm done! We all know the last 20% is going to take forever, so I'm not going to worry about it.

I'm annoyed that some of the nicely styled pages from the old site just don't seem to look good any more. In fact, I had to add a few style attributes here and there just to make them not ugly. I view this as a defeat, since I had everything in the CSS before. Owell. I'll just have to learn more about the CMS.

I'd love to be able to import existing, valid xhtml in some way other than "cut 'n paste". Also, the built-in HTML editor is pretty impressive -- given that it runs in my web browser -- but it mangles the formatting of what I think of as source code.

My congressman isn't listening

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0500

I sent my congressman Representative Corrine Brown a request for support from the Fair Tax Website. Her reply (which was sent twice, 13 minutes apart) did not contain the word "tax" , and the only occurance of the word "fair" was in reference to the 2000 and 2004 elections.

Her response, clearly a form message, is only surprising in that it doesn't contain the word "tax" at all -- I'm surprised that any congressman is able to avoid that three letter word in a 606 word email.

I am also amused that it's 2006 and a point of focus for my elected U.S. representative is the 2000 Presidential Election. Shouldn't we, in the year 2006, look forward? How about focusing on something that I care about? Oh, wait! Maybe the thing I asked about, the Fair Tax!

It disgusts me that I might have to become a single-issue voter.