./monroec

I finally purchased an HDTV. I went with a Vizio for a few reasons:

I had a 37 inch Vizio as part of my previous setup that was perfect. The Samsung that replaced it left much to be desired. The greatest concern with HDTV’s as part of MCPC setups goes down to the display properties.

It is not uncommon for a TV to advertise 1920×1080 (also known as 1080p) as native resolution only to not allow the HDTV to act as a primary PC display. Or it may be the case that the native resolution only works with certain video card manufacturers or not at all! As the name implies, native resolution will yield the best results. It is within the best interests of the user to buy a TV that has the highest level of compatibility.

The Samsung mentioned before refused to act as primary display. This was problematic as I was forced to keep a second monitor connected at all times. Only then would the Samsung display RGB video (through a VGA cable). I’ve worked with Sharp plasma displays that will not go to native resolution with a VGA connection. These demand a DVI or HDMI connection to achive the results.

This Vizio E420VO allows for a few resolutions: 1024*768, 800*600, 640*480, and 1920*1080. Depending on what video card you use, you may have to create a custom resolution for the higher one. I had to do this so that my Geforce 8600 GS would display correctly. Here are the settings:

In my case, I had to load NVIDIA Control Panel and use their interface.

I started getting “disk error” messages whenever I connected my iPod to my Windows PC.  Unplugged, it would work fine. When i launched iTunes, I was directed here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1372

The resolution steps are:

• Disconnect and reconnect your iPod and then attempt to restore.
• Restart your computer and then attempt to restore your iPod.
• Disable or Enable Disk Use on your iPod and then attempt to restore.
• Try connecting your iPod to a different USB port and then attempt to restore.
• Remove any third-party USB devices you have connected to your computer (it is not necessary to remove your keyboard or mouse).
• If you use Windows, re-register .dll files as described in article iTunes displays -50 error message when syncing iPod on Windows XP
• For Windows users, update or reinstall your Windows USB drivers.

Those all seem kind of hardcore. It’s only a fucking MP3 player. Instead, I ran the Windows Error-Checking Tool on the device. Everything went back to normal in seconds. I find it odd that the simplest troubleshooting step is completely missing from their Service Bulletin. I’m going to break down why their troubleshooting steps suck:

1. Disconnect and reconnect your iPod and then attempt to restore. - This won’t do anything. If the drive is in an error state, Windows will continue to see it in an error state. Most likely my issue is related to a premature disconnect.
2. Restart your computer and then attempt to restore your iPod. - What this should say is: Restart all the bogus Apple processes like Bonjour, QuickTime, and iTunesHelper. Apple software HATES coming back from suspend/hibernate.
3. Disable or Enable Disk Use on your iPod and then attempt to restore. - A drive is a drive is a drive. This does nothing. The problem is disk errors, not features.
4. Try connecting your iPod to a different USB port and then attempt to restore. - Good suggestion, but often several USB ports are on the same USB HUB. Most users won’t be smart enough to try the ports on the back/front of the PC.
5. Remove any third-party USB devices you have connected to your computer (it is not necessary to remove your keyboard or mouse). - Yeah I don’t think so, YOUR device is the issue, not MY peripherals.
6. If you use Windows, re-register .dll files as described in article iTunes displays -50 error message when syncing iPod on Windows XP - What? Maybe if I have spyware or a virus, but then I have bigger issues….
7. For Windows users, update or reinstall your Windows USB drivers. - Hahaha, no. USB is a STANDARD interface. It’s not the case that ALL of my devices are having issues. This seems like a catch-all. Don’t fix what ain’t broke.

The iPhone 2G is the terrible result of fantastic marketing.

G-Code:

The “G” rating on the phone is arbitrary. 2G doesn’t mean anything. First off, the phone itself is a 1st Generation device (First Generation, platform 1.1). The EDGE network that it runs on, is commonly referred to as 2.75G. However, the prior 1G phone ran on the same infrastructure.

So then what was the purpose of the phone? It was a way for Apple to release a “new and magical” product that didn’t do anything different as they continued to work on their 2nd generation device: The iPhone 3G.

The media and consumers flocked to it . No news here….

MMS Frenzy:

In march of 2009, MMS support was finally added to the phone with the 3.0 OS. Apple cited AT&T as the bottleneck and most believed them. They also noted that the first two phones (1st Gen devices) would not support the feature.

Clearly Bullshit - I’ve been using an iPhone 2G(1st Gen) with native MMS for a few days now. There are guides all over the net, at least entertain those links.

Double Takes:

A few weeks ago, I was messing around with an unlocked Samsung device. The interface seemed very familiar and quite reminiscent to the iPhone OS. I wondered why Apple hadn’t threatened to sue. Upon further research, I realized that Samsung manufactures the internal hard drives for the iPhone.

Everything In Its Right Place:

The purpose of modular design is to create swappable pieces that make manufacturing and troubleshooting easier. The result is a series of “black boxes” whose function and capabilities are foreign to the user. The problem arises when companies like Apple uses this to their financial advantage. No aspect of the iPhone is modular (all batteries should be user replaceable). The iPhone’s capabilities are limited based on Apple’s Quarterly projections (release cycles are in place to maximize profits through gradual feature removal and aggregation).

I feel that Apple is preying on their user base.

P1401 DM-TL Pump Motor Current - Voltage too high - What the fuck does that mean?

The Accent has a “Diagnostic Module for Tank Leakage” near the driver side rear wheel. It looks like this:

The module itself is supposed to pressurize the system to detect leaks.

The Hyundai service bulletin recommends replacing the associated air filter and (maybe) the DM-TL unit for the above trouble code. Since I took the whole assembly down, I decided to move on to replacing both units. The DM-TL will run you about $220 and the air filter $13 at the dealership. (I had no luck finding the parts online)

The assembly is held onto the car by 3 nuts. The DM-TL is a fiesta of silicone hoses that are prone to break.  Soapy water will help separate these hoses.

Disconnecting the unit is rather obvious so I won’t go into detail. As always, re-installing is the reverse process.

The 2003 Accent part numbers are:

• 31453-25510 - filter
• 31440-25510 - DM-TL

Here are some self explanatory images depicting the work:

Against my own judgment, I purchased a touch screen phone.

I have the bad habit of throwing phones, so the $179 price tag sold me. Here are the connection details for unlocked phones to work on T-Mobile.

T-Mobile picture messaging settings

• WAP GW IP Address: 216.155.165.050
• APN Name: wap.voicestream.com or epc.tmobile.com or internet2.voicestream.com
• NOTE: Use the first APN, and try to send an MMS message. If it does not work, try the second and then the third.
• Messaging Server: http://mms.msg.eng.t-mobile.com/mms/wapenc
• Data Mode: Connection Oriented

Samsung S5230 specific settings

• Set Name: T-Mobile MMS
• Access Name: wap.voicestream.com
• Auth Type: Secure
• User ID: (blank)
• Password: (blank)
• Protocol: HTTP
• Home URL: http://216.155.174.84/servlets/mms
• Proxy Address: 216.155.165.50:8080
• Linger Time: 300
• Advanced Settings: (blank)

Every phone’s interface is different, but that is the general idea: Gateway/Proxy IP address, APN name, login credentials, home/messaging server address.

I attended the Nellis Air Show today. Apparently, I know nothing about aircrafts:  everything was much bigger or smaller than I expected. By the time we hit up the C5 Galaxy, my mind was blown. I don’t care about the laws of physics, it makes no sense to see that thing fly. That thing is an assboat.

As expected, the Thunderbirds were the highlight of the of the show.

Had it not been for Dustin’s invitation, I wouldn’t have attended the event. Given his current military standing, I basically had my own tour guide. Kudos to you, dbarbour!

I don’t have a fancy camera or anything, so I took few pictures. Here’s some that stood out:

I decided to put my coding skills to use and coded up a “neat” PHP page. The goal was to setup a basic commenting system.

The result can be seen here: http://www.jasminegardens.org

I basically have an HTML form that uses PHP to insert a user value and comment value into a mySQL database. The latest 25 comments are displayed and old comments are auto-deleted.

This is a very basic web development exercise.

The eventual goal is to create a hybrid of 4chan and facebook. For the time being, I need to read up on SQL injection and PHP coding practices.

What the fuck, I don’t even have a floppy drive!

I battled with signal loss on my cable modems for many years. Here is a guide that might help you resolve your problem:

The Modem

The cable modem itself has a web interface that can provide some very useful information (Motorola modems use http://192.168.100.1/). The items to look for are Signal to Noise Ratio and error messages that can be found in the logs.

• Signal to Noise Ratio is a ratio of “desired” signal to “unwanted” noise. The higher the number, the better. Use this number as a reference as you troubleshoot.  For example: I’m at 35 db with no issues.

• Most logged error messages will be a too technical for average users. However, you should mention these messages when you call your cable provider. Often, you will be escalated to tier two support. Tier one support is a layman reading a script.

The Cabling

In rooms where TV and PC’s are found, there’s a guarantee that a coaxial splitter is being used. For every leg on that splitter, there will be some signal loss. Splitters vary in size and quality. You could have up to 12 db of signal loss on each leg! When possible, plug directly to an open coaxial wall-outlet.

Note: RG6 cables are designed for cable modems, RG59 cables are designed for televisions. Use the right tool for the job.

The House

Chances are that the main cable feed from the street goes to a 6-way splitter on the outside of your house (one leg for each room) . It should be in a box labeled “Cable” or “Television”. Consider the following setup:

1. Place a 2-way splitter before the 6-way splitter
2. Connect the cable-modem-room directly to the open leg of the 2-way.
3. Leave all other rooms unchanged

You could also purchase a coaxial signal amplifier.

If All Else Fails

Vote with your money. Don’t waste time paying for a service you can’t use. Move to DSL.

I got fed up with the absolute incompetence of my previous web-host and cancelled it. I’ve opened a new hosting plan through fatcow.com (only $20.00 more than my previous hookup!).

The story behind my old host involves the somethingawful.com forums. All members were offered a discounted plan through some guy’s side business. I figured the web servers were Pentium 2’s sitting under a desk somewhere, but I couldn’t argue with the $35/Year pricetag.

While my previous experiences had all been stellar, this last week’s e-mails left me with a bad taste.

I suppose it worked out for the best since I was up for renewal come August.

Oh well, HVLV.ORG and JASMINEGARDENS.NET will both redirect here. No need to go crazy updating bookmarks.