Console Gaming without a TV part V (Samsung 2333HD monitor)

Posted on by Forge77

From my last post I had talked about getting a new Monitor and retiring the Wii VGA cable . The thing is the post was getting to the epic dictionary size so I felt the need to make another post, After doing much research after my first failed attempt at getting a monitor I noticed they were making Monitors with TV tuners built on to them. Personally I don’t want a TV with a VGA input on it for many reasons, TV generally have very limited resolutions as far as computers are concerned.

Looking around I stumbled upon Samsungs lines of monitors with TV Tuners built in, the T2#0HD line of monitors are basically monitors with an HD Tuner built in.  I like the idea of a monitor that has a built in TV tuner,  It removes the need for a TV and also it is more convienent for me,  The major problem with these monitors is there fucking imposible to find locally in a store, best buy has them on there site but there all WEB ONLY which is a pile of moose shit, they went you to purchase a TV rather than taking more convienent route of getting a monitor with built in tuner.

After the fun I had with the Samsung 2253BW, I just for the hell of it looked at TV’s on the Office Depot site- which hit me with a profound yet silly answer– I had to look twice because the model number did not make sense- Samsung 2333HD 23″ Widescreen LCD HDTV? Wait a sec.. 2333HD? And I just had a 2253 ? and the T220HD ????? What the.. going to google it made alot more sense after.  The model number didn’t look like a HDTV Model number, after dealing with a TV problem in the house that needed to be replaced I became familiar with model numbers. Usually a model number from samsung for a monitor would be ####AB where-as tv’s used a much differnt sequence like – Samsung LN26A450. The only exception I’ve found was the T###HD monitor line, which is still much different than any model numbers for TV’s.

Comparing the T220HD to the 2333HD yielded another interesting result. The 2333hd Can goto 1080p while the T220HD could only achieve 720p.  After a call to Office Depot I manages to get the 2333HD.

For A TV analog channels do look a little fuzzy but on HD channels this monitor really shines, as for the Wii, It Removes the need for a VGA cable, it also has enough inputs to not clusterfuck the back of the pc with inputs and outputs. The sound from the built-in speakers is very tinny. The easy fix is to use the optical out on the back of the monitor which provides excellent sound through a Stereo reciever. As for the wii using a RGB Component in with the audio inputed in through the TV Also is a huge bonus (less cables all over the place).

As for the monitor end of things the monitor give an excellent response time for gaming with no noticeable trails or other things that would otherwise annoy you. Also the monitor goes into standby when you turn the PC off which is the BIGGEST thing I wanted and the reason I did not want to buy a TV. When you turn off a TV with a PC connected 95% of the time your left with a screen that says “no signal” and your just wasting power. the 2333HD does not do that after you shut down your PC the monitor happily goes to standby.

the Images look great as far as I’m concerned and this really is the best of both worlds when considering your options for a setup for a console without a TV.

Console Gaming without a TV part IV (Samsung 2253BW monitor)

Posted on by Forge77

I’ve written in the past about not having a TV to play Console games on , And through many trials I settled on the VD-W2 Wii VGA cable.  The cable definitely served its purpose, after trying many TV Cards that just could not hold up to console gaming I decided to try that cabled on a whim.  Honestly it was one of the best things I bought to use with my monitor.  So if you have a small room and do not want to deal with the annoyences of  TV Card or having a TV and a Computer monitor in the same room with your console and PC, The Vdigi Wii VGA Cable is worth the buy!

well….

The cable earned its retirement after almost a year of faithful service, I had given away one of my monitors due to the fact we still had a monstrosity of a CRT monitor in the house, That given, It started me on a new quest.

To find a monitor to fit my needs….
Since I was using both the VGA and the DVI inputs that meant I needed a monitor to have at least 2 inputs. The last time I had purchased a monitor was 2007 and, I was not sure exactly sure how things have changed in that technology.

Well I took a little crash course.

(click more to read on)

Continue reading “Console Gaming without a TV part IV (Samsung 2253BW monitor)”

You kin do it! donuts *barf*

Posted on by Forge77

Dunkin Donuts is at it again with  a new advertising campaign but,  I can’t help but laugh every time I’ve seen the commercials. “You kin do it!” But, Seeing the words makes me think of another thing besides brand recognition.

Dunkin Donuts has appearently spent $100million on this new campaign which i find funny. The Waterboy movie on the otherhand spent $23 million making the movie and by any figure the 18 seconds of time Rob Shneider spent saying that line in the movie cost $76662.  Dunkin spent $100,000,000 on this so far in three 30 second TV spots.  So really it would be just cheaper to hire Rob Shneider for 90 Seconds at $383,310 vs $100 million. And people wonder why businesses are crying for a bailout?

waterboy_2

Oh the fun of Windows XP (fun with windows activation)

Posted on by Forge77

I’ve made some hardware updates to my machine and really the biggest pain of any machine I’ve built is one thing…  Windows XP.  As I sit here I have a legit copy of the software but, Every time I’ve reinstalled since maybe the 5th time I’ve reinstalled over the years there is one nagging thing that outright just pisses me off.

Windows Activation….. Its basically the most annoying prospect on this planet.  After entering the product key than clicking the keys in the small keys in the bottom right it says “you can activate windows over the Internet or over the phone” the Internet will be quickest and easiest .. my ass…  if you have had windows a couple of years you will run into this same activation wall.  Basically, once you have activated your windows a few times you will get an error:

“this copy of windows has been activated too many times”

An option for a entering another key comes up or you have to dial up the 1-800 Number, So you call the 800 number and you are greeted by a female robot that asks you questions.  Rather than being able to input your answers by keypad your stuck with dealing with a voice response system.   Now being a voice recognition system your already aggravated due to the point you have to speak like Anakin Skywalker from the first starwars movie,  if you don’t speak with any emotion or even twinge the wrong way you should get through the first prompts ok, but when it comes to the next part which is speaking a forty-eight digit string of numbers.

You will need the powers of a jedi , A vulcan and an android in order not to loose your sanity.

8 groups of 6 numbers each , or so you think….. you start slowly and speak each number like every emotion has been ripped from your head and your the original terminator .. if you succeed  you will hear a bell signaling that you’ve just passed the first trial, if not the “friendly” robot voice says it does not understand you and to repeat the numbers again.  You try the numbers a second time and wait for the bell.. if not your treated to the third form of this torturous adventure.  Keypad entry …. If you input the keys on a poor signal from say a cell phone, your fucked, because the robot will kick you back to voice prompt or the 4th option. If your lucky and you don’t fart breath the wrong way or scratch and itch you get to the end of the numbers.   The robot now tells you to hold on and is validating your install.. You breath a sigh of relief for a mo- “sorry I can not validate this install You are now being transferred to a representative”

In the moment you channel every emotion you’ve held back in the past 5 minutes and try to channel enough anger over the phone hoping that the robot explodes. As your own robot demeanor slowly turns into darth vader after finding out his ship was towed for parking in a non-sith  zone.

darth_xp

The thought of throwing the disc across the room and killing something with it comes to mind.. Finally you get an operator, They ask for the First six digits of the installation ID, Than after that it turns into a interrogation.

You get asked questions

  • Did you buy this software at a store…
  • How many Machines do you have this software installed on.
  • Is this your first time activating this software
  • How many machines is this software installed on(again)

This is what pisses me off to the core.. I purchased this software from a fucking store.. I have in my hand the damn case for the disk an original CD and now I’m getting 20 questions?  I did not pirate the damn thing.. (who would be stupid enough to call on a pirated disk ? ) And the fact they ask you twice about how many machines its installed on is just about Saying your trying to steal the disk.  what the fuck?   How about instead of beating around the bush.. just ask outright .  ARE YOU STEALING THIS SOFTWARE!  After the interrogation you get to the next fun part of the “easy activation”

Now i have nothing against foreign call centers but at this point your bloods boiling you’ve just used every ounce of mental strength not to go batshit crazy over the phone and now the fun begins.. you are read a forty-two digit code from someone who does have an accent that sometimes can be VERY hard to understand. So at times your asking to go back but occasionally you will get a person who is rattles off the numbers like they’re an Auctioneer onethreefoursevensixfive HOOOOOOOOOLD THE FUCK ON…

after what seems forever and a day and half you finally get through this depleted and wanting to kill something you have windows activated till the next time you upgrade/something goes wrong/you look at windows the wrong way/ your cat sneezes.

this activation crap needs to be fine tuned .. or at least have some sort of system where you can de-authorize an activation like bioshock did.  Honestly when it comes to the next edition of windows or even Vista I cant afford it.  So I’m stuck on XP. But every time I’ve had a problem i don’t feel like saying more numbers than a Stock sheet in the newspaper.

If you look at it, Its a 48 to 96+ digits for an installation key because of the autobot phone lady, Not to mention if that fails its another 48+ digits after that. six more digits If you get “too many activations and the megamaid robot cant authorize your windows”. Than another 42+ digits for the “confirmation ID”, so in total its anywhere from

Ninety-six to one-hundred and ninety-two spoken numbers over the phone..  that’s just totally insane.

Site Dry spell.

Posted on by Forge77

I’ve not posted in awhile , Just a little dry spell but, now i’ll get back up posting on the site. One of the main reasons was I updating my PC, The computer i was using has been having a rough time with things.  Upgraded to 2.7GHz processor and a new geforce 9800 gt  to boot.

so after going through a few reformats and 20 gallons of coffee I’ve finally got everything together. My biggest annoyance is Windows Activation, I’ve reformatted through almost every hardware change and activation for xp is just a big pain in the ass because you get the “you’ve activated this product to many times”.  Which is nothing short of saying FU to the customer who has a legit version of xp.

Also I have currently installed window 7, I had it installed before but made the mistake of installing it over XP, That was a huge mistake – for as well as 7 runs there are some things that just don’t run and your better off having a dual boot  to get around that.  Windows 7 as far as i am concerned is an improvement over Vista but, I am not totally confident that the current state of 7 will last. Microsoft started vista the same way , in the early beta’s it looked good but once they let the devs put all the crazy shit like UAC in it went down the hole. The methods they use to get to certain menus is silly.  Gaming for the PC with vista has been hit or miss but, mostly miss. the performance hits I’ve seen from vista keep me going to XP , With 7 I’ve actually seen some decent frame rates in games without taking a huge hit.  The annoyance factors with windows 7 Have been slightly minimized but not to a level I like, Its not like Vista where every action is followed by a warning (are you sure you want to breath *accept/deny). Also with Microsoft coming out with 7248572 version of vista is pure annoyance, Windows XP started with 2 editions Home and professional that was fine, They later added MCE (media center edition).  But when Vista came out they went with version clusterfuck, most sites list 6 version but in reality its 11+ versions of the same OS

  1. Windows Vista Starter
  2. Windows Vista Home Basic
  3. Windows Vista Home Basic 64
  4. Windows Vista Home Premium
  5. Windows Vista Home Premium 64
  6. Windows Vista Business
  7. Windows Vista Business 64
  8. Windows Vista Enterprise
  9. Windows Vista Enterprise 64
  10. Windows Vista Ultimate
  11. Windows Vista Ultimate 64
  12. Windows Vista Ultimate bill gates limited edition
  13. Windows Vista Ultimate bill gates limited edition 64

Sure you can say some of its redundant but its way the fuck too much. hopefully with 7 they have ALOT less versions  because going through all that feels like going through all the Sims 2 expansion packs from EA no thanks. Hopefully windows 7 will be like XP was after they released there nightmare windows ME

Wii have a problem with Media? Media Thinks your Wii is going to kill or injure you….

Posted on by Forge77

Recently I’ve seen alot of news on how the wii “injures” people and at first I was going to ignore it but, Instead of going away its just grown into the flavor of the month of Media trying to scare people.  Reading this article is pretty hilarious on its own because of how badly its sourced and the numbers they are coming out with. anyways on to the goods.

The article starts in huge letters

Wii puts 10 in hospital a week

Wow…. so they bait you with that. what the hell is the Wii doing beating people down who play Xbox? Its very interesting how an inanimate object is “putting” people into the hospital.

The growing toll has prompted NHS doctors to warn of the dangers. Wii-itis sufferers usually have excruciating pain in the right shoulder or knee.

The Toll? WII IS ON A RAMPAGE!!!! LOOK OUT ITS GOING TO CAP YOUR ASS! no, seriously this bugs me because usaully the people ending up hurt by the wii are either playing like jackasses or have no concept of moderation. They fail to state the conditions leading up to whatever caused the injuries, in most cases the Game system did not cause the injury the person caused the injury themselves by not following instructions,  reading further…

A rheumatology consultant said: Most are admitted after playing the tennis and running games which involve sudden movements and violent tendon stretching. Dr Dev Mukerjee, of Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex, said: There has been a 100 per cent increase in patients complaining of Wii-itis.

I don’t know about this it sounds like a load of bullshit to me,  Tennis maybe , Running ? What the hell? Even with wii fit it tells you not to slam down on the board, so again this comes back to the person playing the game. I’ve seen some people who play the Wii and use crazy amounts of force or movements while playing, When you play the wii you dont have to swing the controller like your hacking an axe through a tree, using fairly slow movements can actually acheive the same results as swinging like a madman.

Thinking about it further something about this article stinks badly enough to think a landfill with used diapers is nearby and someone is just trying to get there 15 minutes of fame, my logic is the numbers dont play out. Think about this for a moment, This asshats are just playing with numbers to make them look alot worse than they are.

10 People a week get “injured”, in 52 weeks that means only 520 people get injured in a years time. Given the population of the world. Your chances of getting “injured” by the Wii beating your ass in any given day is  0.0000077%, There something seriously wrong with this. This doctor is Should not even be considered remotely useful. if you really think about this

the odds of you getting injured by your Wii is

1 in 12,884,615ish

Lets look at the odds of things than your  Wii Injuring you and see how retarded this article is for all its worth.

  • becoming president: 1 in 10,000,000
  • dying from parts falling off an airplane: 1 in 10,000,000
  • dying from contact with hot tap water: 1 in 5,005,564
  • dying from food poisoning: 1 in 3,000,000
  • winning the lottery (single state): 1 in 18 million
  • being struck by lightning: 1 in 2,650,000
  • killed in an airplane accident: 355,318 to 1
  • asteroid colliding with Earth in the next 100 years: 5,500 to 1
  • becoming an astronaut: 12,100,000 to 1
  • drowning in the bathtub: 693,000 to 1
  • dying due to a shark attack: 300,000,000 to 1

The news networks and various blogs are Picking up the story and focusing on the injury end, where the statistics speak for themselves. its all Silly medias fascination and irresponsibility with scaring people with stuff that is next to impossible to happening and the fact they blame the machine rather than the person is just poor writing on there behalf.  From the articles i’ve found theres no stated sources, no actual facts, No history, and no clues to the actual cause of this.

Happy thanksgiving

Posted on by Forge77

well today is thanksgiving and Peter, Anna and Andreas have travelled back to Sweden on Monday, the Morning after they left i woke up sort of confused as to what to do rather than having something to do. The time they have spent here i had alot of fun, From our trip to New York , Boston than Lincoln. Also I cant forget Donny

One of the weirder things i did while on this trip was pay attention to what coffee was around, generally in boston it was carpet bombed with dunkin donuts and Starbucks. but there was a silver lining to the coffee side of things if you are in boston. Honey Dew Donuts DOES EXIST there, on the morning we went to salem, at the South station i spotted Honey dew donuts and thought i died. After 2 days of dunkin donuts seeing a honey dew was like finding a diamond.  Dunkin donuts has Literally clusterfucked boston with shops.

Media.. A bit late for halloween and early on april fools about the economy.

Posted on by Forge77

<!– @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } A:link { so-language: zxx } –>I’ve been following the economy for awhile. Yes, we are in a bad downturn but, what gets me is the media.. Rather than being somewhat neutral to the issue they are betting on the apocalypse. There aim has me confused. rather than trying to see both sides of an issue they are aiming for getting average Joe into a clustfuck frenzy. Take Time Magazine for an example.

The 171 banks on the FDIC’s “problem list” encompass only about 2 percent of the nearly 8,500 FDIC-insured institutions. Still, the increase from 117 in the second quarter is sharp, and the current tally is the highest since late 1995. (See pictures of the stock market crash of 1929.)

OK.. first off 171 banks out of 8500 A whole 2% (2.011%).. WOW… but look at the eye-catcher here. “See Pictures of the Stock market Crash of 1928” what the fuck? stock market.. ? yet the article is speaking about FDIC insured banks?  Why not just throw in some pictures of nukes while we are at it .

Reading further into the article you will also see.

The FDIC said total assets held by troubled institutions climbed from $78.3 billion to $115.6 billion — a figure that suggests that the nation’s top 20 banks aren’t on the list, even though they are getting slammed, too, by the growing credit crisis. The FDIC does not reveal the names of the institutions it deems troubled. (See pictures of the recession of 1958.)

Nice even though the top 20 banks are not on the list we would like to remind you something that happened 50 years ago k thx. Sure the economy is in a downturn but due to deregulation and other things the market to my belief is overinflated the fuck outta. Big businesses have been having a field day trying to break down things and increasing the cost of everything , Im surprised they have not added a device to count your farts for some sort of health diet.  The way the banks have gone I saw it coming but I was never sure when this was going to hit , Back about 2 years ago i was getting credit card applications on a daily basis and when i saw this I only thought to myself “this is going to end well”. The banks got themselves into this situation and now they are screaming for help when what they did came back to bite them in the ass like a bear chasing a man coated in beef and Honey.

What is Ironic to me is rather than help the people who are directly affected by this the banks got bailed out and the people who have lost there houses have not, So what the hell. I mean thats like helping out a drunk driver rather than the person he hit. Honestly this 700billion dollar bailout stinks like hell and more and more companies and businesses are jumping on the ME TOO bandwagon even though they have caused these issues on there own,  Car makers… Rather than make fuel efficient cars they kept coming out with beastly huge ass cars that got 0.1 mile to the gallon, when oil peaked this year they did not adjust there strategy to cope with the situation.

If you follow crude oil prices they had at least 5 years of forewarning. Other car makers adjusted around the time oil started spiking, and they are not nearly as bad off as US car makers. Oil companies keep posting these all time record profits and yet every time they say it has nothing to do with them ripping off people by gouging them which makes no sense.

My opinion here.. Sure it sounds bad but, Let these companies fail. its a hard lesson but rather than propping them up Every time they decide to have drunken bender of loaning out billions to people who honestly could not afford it, i think the banks should have some responsibility here. Same with the Car companies. Every time i hear bailout these days I cringe because, these bailouts are not working as intended. Bail out the average Joe rather than these companies. Don’t even put the money in there hands just say hey your mortgage is payed for x months, and give them a contract that says they have to either straighten up finances or get out of dodge.