Since the
last time I wrote about TVs some new acronyms have popped up. If
you are buying a TV for the future these are important, but if
you are buying a TV for short term, (the next few years) almost
all of these are not important. The reason they are not
important is because almost no one is broadcasting to take
advantage of 4K, HDR-10, (Dolby), except some Netflix and Bluray
DVDs.
Smart TV - These sets are good to have now and the
majority of new TVs are smart TVs. They allow access to the
internet from your home WiFi and provide access to Netflix,
YouTube, Hulu, and more without the need for a separate box. Many Smart TVs give you a full web browser,
so you can use a search engine or visit websites. Some let you
play interactive online games.
4K UHD - these ultra-high-definition televisions offer
four times the resolution of a standard 1080p HDTV. Instead of a
screen that has about 2 million pixels, these televisions show
about 8 million pixels.
HDR-10, Dolby Vision - I lump these two, High Dynamic
Range and Dolby10 together, because they are competing
technologies, kind of like the old Betamax / VHS argument. Some
manufactures are using one vs. the other and some have both. HDR
is currently winning, because it is open source while
manufacturers must pay royalties to Dolby for its technology.
Many advertisements refer to them simply as Dolby and HDR.
The first of the two
major differences between Dolby Vision and HDR-10 is that Dolby
uses 12 bits per color (red, green, and blue), where HDR-10 uses
10 bits per color. The second, Dolby Vision uses dynamic, or
continuous metadata so that color and brightness levels can be
adjusted per scene, or even frame-by-frame basis. HDR-10 uses
static metadata that is sent only once at the beginning of the
video. Both reproduce a wider range of brightness levels, higher
contrast ratio, and richer colors. Contrast ratio is the
measurement of the difference in brightness between the whitest
white and the darkest black. When seen side by side with non-HDR
content, HDR-enhanced video is incredibly bright and with
vibrant colors. Samples show a very positive marked difference.
Some TVs use OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)
screens for a superior image and other benefits. Televisions
packed with organic light-emitting diodes are incredibly thin,
because each pixel is its own light source, so backlighting is
not required. These televisions are more energy efficient than
other TV panel types. Some LG TVs are as thin as four credit
cards. Quantum
dot or QLED TVs can match the contrast ratio of OLED.
Quantum dots are microscopic dots about a fraction of the width
of a human hair.Samsung uses the term Quantum Dot.
Bottom line, you can
get 4K UHD, HDR (Dolby), OLED on one TV. Every 4K is UHD by
definition. Almost all TVs are LED, but very few are OLED or
Quantum dot. Most TVs are now Smart TVs.
Incidentally, DolbyVision is for pictures and Dolby Atmos is
for sound.
Feb 10, 2017
Lucille
In the
winter of 1949, BB King played at a dance hall in Twist,
Arkansas. The hall was heated by a barrel half-filled with
burning kerosene, a fairly common practice at the time. During a
performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the barrel
and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into
flames, and the building was evacuated.
Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside so he went back into the burning building to retrieve his beloved $30 Gibson guitar. King learned the next day that the two men that started the fire had been fighting over a woman who worked at the hall named Lucille. King named that guitar, and every guitar he subsequently owned, Lucille, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over a woman.
Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside so he went back into the burning building to retrieve his beloved $30 Gibson guitar. King learned the next day that the two men that started the fire had been fighting over a woman who worked at the hall named Lucille. King named that guitar, and every guitar he subsequently owned, Lucille, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over a woman.
Quote
“Like a
welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the
earth, the air and you." ~ Langston Hughes
TV No Tuner
For those of you who may wish to get an antenna and ditch cable,
check the TV you have and the next one you buy. Some
manufacturers have begun to eliminate the tuner in order to save
costs.
A TV tuner is a device that converts digital over-the-air channels for viewing on compatible displays and TVs. If you get a TV without a tuner, you will need some kind of converter box, such as an HDTV Digital TV Converter box with HDMI output. You can also get a DVR that will turn an antenna into HDMI cable. This way not only do you get OTA but a DVR to record your shows.
External TV tuners cost from fifteen US dollars up to multiple hundreds of dollars and can be as small as a USB stick up to the size of a cigar box. You can also buy a TV tuner card for a PC and turn it into a television.
A TV tuner is a device that converts digital over-the-air channels for viewing on compatible displays and TVs. If you get a TV without a tuner, you will need some kind of converter box, such as an HDTV Digital TV Converter box with HDMI output. You can also get a DVR that will turn an antenna into HDMI cable. This way not only do you get OTA but a DVR to record your shows.
External TV tuners cost from fifteen US dollars up to multiple hundreds of dollars and can be as small as a USB stick up to the size of a cigar box. You can also buy a TV tuner card for a PC and turn it into a television.
Wordology, Pareidolia
The natural tendency to see faces in objects or patterns.
It is the psychological phenomenon that causes some people to see or hear a vague or random image or sound as something significant. Pronounced par-i-DOH-lee-a.
It is the psychological phenomenon that causes some people to see or hear a vague or random image or sound as something significant. Pronounced par-i-DOH-lee-a.
Feb 3, 2017
Happy Friday
If happiness lives in
your soul, a smile will adorn your face.
My soul keeps me smiling, especially on a Happy Friday!
My soul keeps me smiling, especially on a Happy Friday!
World Cancer Day
Saturday,
February 4 is World Cancer Day 2017. The day is celebrated to
raise awareness of all types of cancer and to encourage the
prevention and treatment of cancer. The idea is to become aware
and push for actions that will reduce premature deaths, improve
quality of life, and increase cancer survival rates. More info
here http://www.worldcancerday.org/faq
National Lame Duck Day
On February 6 National Lame Duck Day recognizes the
ratification of the 20th Amendment on February 6, 1933 to the
United States Constitution, or the Lame Duck Amendment.
The term 'lame duck' originated as a description of stock brokers in 1700s England who could not pay off their debts. The term later carried over to businessmen who, while known to be bankrupt, would continue to do business.
The official record of the United States Congress of January 14, 1863 read, "In no event ... could [the Court of Claims] be justly obnoxious to the charge of being a receptacle of 'lame ducks' or broken down politicians." In politics a lame duck is a person currently holding a political office who has either: lost a re-election bid, chose not to seek another term, was prevented from running for re-election due to a term limit, or the office held has been eliminated.
Prior to the ratification of the 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution there was, for Congress a 13 month delay between election day and the day the newly elected officials took office. In the case of a lame duck, this was a 13 month notice his or her job was terminating, crippling his or her influence. Hence the lame or injured duck. The 20th Amendment shortened this period from 13 months to 2 months and changed the dates for the beginning of the new Congress to January 3 and when the newly elected president took office from March 4th to January 20th.
During a lame duck session, members of Congress are no longer accountable to their constituents. It is possible for their focus to switch to more personal gain instead of acting on behalf of their constituents with an eye toward re-election. Lame duck Congresses have declared war, impeached a president, censured a senator, and passed the Homeland Security Act among other actions. Lame duck Presidents have pardoned many criminals, issued executive orders, confiscated land to create national parks, declared areas to be newly opened or newly restricted from drilling for oil, created additional federal judges, executive clemency for family members, and more.
Jimmy Carter's administration published more than 10,000 pages of new rules between Election Day and Ronald Reagan's Inauguration Day. When President George W. Bush took office in 2001, his administration acted to block the implementation of 90 final rules that were issued in the final months of the Clinton administration, but that had not yet gone into effect.
Incidentally, unlike the United States Congress, there is no 'lame duck session of Parliament in most Commonwealth countries between the general election and swearing in of elected officials.
The term 'lame duck' originated as a description of stock brokers in 1700s England who could not pay off their debts. The term later carried over to businessmen who, while known to be bankrupt, would continue to do business.
The official record of the United States Congress of January 14, 1863 read, "In no event ... could [the Court of Claims] be justly obnoxious to the charge of being a receptacle of 'lame ducks' or broken down politicians." In politics a lame duck is a person currently holding a political office who has either: lost a re-election bid, chose not to seek another term, was prevented from running for re-election due to a term limit, or the office held has been eliminated.
Prior to the ratification of the 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution there was, for Congress a 13 month delay between election day and the day the newly elected officials took office. In the case of a lame duck, this was a 13 month notice his or her job was terminating, crippling his or her influence. Hence the lame or injured duck. The 20th Amendment shortened this period from 13 months to 2 months and changed the dates for the beginning of the new Congress to January 3 and when the newly elected president took office from March 4th to January 20th.
During a lame duck session, members of Congress are no longer accountable to their constituents. It is possible for their focus to switch to more personal gain instead of acting on behalf of their constituents with an eye toward re-election. Lame duck Congresses have declared war, impeached a president, censured a senator, and passed the Homeland Security Act among other actions. Lame duck Presidents have pardoned many criminals, issued executive orders, confiscated land to create national parks, declared areas to be newly opened or newly restricted from drilling for oil, created additional federal judges, executive clemency for family members, and more.
Jimmy Carter's administration published more than 10,000 pages of new rules between Election Day and Ronald Reagan's Inauguration Day. When President George W. Bush took office in 2001, his administration acted to block the implementation of 90 final rules that were issued in the final months of the Clinton administration, but that had not yet gone into effect.
Incidentally, unlike the United States Congress, there is no 'lame duck session of Parliament in most Commonwealth countries between the general election and swearing in of elected officials.
Fluffy Eggs
A
friend of mine, Jeff Flanagan passed along this quick scrambled
egg tip. Instead of butter or spray for a pan coating, use a
little olive oil. Much fluffier eggs.
Bacon Up
Holy
Disaster - US bacon reserves hit 50-year low. Prices continue to
go up in a sizzle. The average price of bacon across America has
risen 14 percent since June of last year, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Analysts are reporting an 18% increase in the wholesale price of pork, with the surge expected to have a continued rise on the price of bacon and sausages.
Pig farmers can't keep up with the world's sizzling appetite for those fatty, juicy, smoky strips of sheer eating pleasure. US Department of Agriculture, “Today’s pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever,” said Rich Deaton, president of the organization. “Yet our reserves are still depleting.”
Hog farmers export approximately 26 percent of total production, the Bacon Council said. China still produces almost four times the amount of pork as the US, so the US may need to reduce exporting in order to satisfy local demand or risk rising imports. Bottom line, eat more bacon now before the next increase.
Analysts are reporting an 18% increase in the wholesale price of pork, with the surge expected to have a continued rise on the price of bacon and sausages.
Pig farmers can't keep up with the world's sizzling appetite for those fatty, juicy, smoky strips of sheer eating pleasure. US Department of Agriculture, “Today’s pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever,” said Rich Deaton, president of the organization. “Yet our reserves are still depleting.”
Hog farmers export approximately 26 percent of total production, the Bacon Council said. China still produces almost four times the amount of pork as the US, so the US may need to reduce exporting in order to satisfy local demand or risk rising imports. Bottom line, eat more bacon now before the next increase.
Falconry Terms
Some common terms we use come from falconry. For instance, the
term, 'under your thumb’ comes from the falconry way of holding
the bird's talons under ones thumb to keep it from flying away.
A falcon is fitted with a small leather hood over the bird’s eyes and head to keep it from being distracted. From this we get the term ‘hoodwinked’.
Falconers regularly give their bird a small treat when landing on their hand. Each time the bird goes to find game, like rabbits, and returns it is given another treat. After a few sessions the bird is full and no longer wants to go hunt. It is said the bird is ‘fed up’.
A falcon is fitted with a small leather hood over the bird’s eyes and head to keep it from being distracted. From this we get the term ‘hoodwinked’.
Falconers regularly give their bird a small treat when landing on their hand. Each time the bird goes to find game, like rabbits, and returns it is given another treat. After a few sessions the bird is full and no longer wants to go hunt. It is said the bird is ‘fed up’.
Quick Conversion
If you want to quickly convert between miles and kilometers,
you can use the Fibonacci sequence to make a conversion with a
good degree of accuracy. The Fibonacci sequence, which is the
basis for the golden ratio (1.618), begins like this: 0, 1, 1,
2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144
Each number in the sequence after the first two is the sum of the previous two numbers. Look at any number in the sequence as a number of miles and the next number in the sequence is approximately that same distance in kilometers. For example, 55 miles equals about 89 kilometers. Conversely, 34 kilometers equals about 21 miles.
The conversion of miles to kilometers is 1.609. The small difference between that and 1.618 will cause higher numbers to not equal, but the numbers would need to be quite high to make a difference. When in your car, check your speedometer for a quick comparison.
Each number in the sequence after the first two is the sum of the previous two numbers. Look at any number in the sequence as a number of miles and the next number in the sequence is approximately that same distance in kilometers. For example, 55 miles equals about 89 kilometers. Conversely, 34 kilometers equals about 21 miles.
The conversion of miles to kilometers is 1.609. The small difference between that and 1.618 will cause higher numbers to not equal, but the numbers would need to be quite high to make a difference. When in your car, check your speedometer for a quick comparison.
Krispy Kreme Giveaway
Starting February 6 ending February 28, Krispy
Kreme will provide customers with a free original glazed
doughnut when they purchase a coffee in any size. No coupon is
required, and customers may take advantage of as many free
doughnuts as they can handle while the deal is valid.
The company is relaunching its coffee with a choice of two flavors: Smooth and Rich. The former is described as best for "subtle, easy drinking," while the latter is darker and comes with a "more bold experience."
The company is relaunching its coffee with a choice of two flavors: Smooth and Rich. The former is described as best for "subtle, easy drinking," while the latter is darker and comes with a "more bold experience."
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