Facebook Idiot Doesn't Recognize Romney

My favorite stupid person story of the day. A dumbell spotted a photo of a man he didn't recognize on his girlfriend's Facebook page. Got in an argument & punched her, & smashed her computer. Obviously he went to jail.  It was a campaign photo of Mitt Romney. I'm guessing this guy doesn't vote. Or at least I hope he doesn't. LOL

New Nano:Same As The Old Nano

It is hilarious how every couple of years Apple changes the design of the iPod nano. Then after a couple of years with the new style , they go back to the old style. This tells me that the old style is still the best.

I have a 4th generation iPod nano. the 5th added a camera. Then for the 6th & 7th, they decided to shorten it so it looked like a watch, & easy to lose. Now for the 8th, back to the rectangular style that looks like a cigarette lighter. The camera is back, but the click wheel has been replaced by a touch screen. So as one website said, it's basically a Touch mini.

It also now only comes in one memory size: 16 GB. Mine is an 8 GB, which is fine for me since after 3 years I'm still only using less than 3 GB. And shockingly, the 16 is the same price as the old 8! Hmmm.

All of this is silly. I am not going to buy one because my nano works fine. Heck I was using it today. Sounds fine, no problems. But the obsessive fanboys will find an excuse to buy one anyway. Well, actually they will probably buy an iPhone 5.

Windows Shutdown?

This morning I started up my computer early. I did this so i could run my Avast! anti-virus scanner. For some reason, the computer shut itself off & rebooted within 10 minutes. I have never had this happen on any computer that I have owned.

So the scan ended up taking longer. Well, officially it was normal length. But it had to be restarted. I can't find anything on the company's forums, & Windows doesn't seem to have anything listed. All my updates are current.

This is just weird. Why would my computer do this? I've never had it do anything like this. I still think that it has to do with the antivirus. But why? I've had Avast! on my system for a few months, after years of using Avira, before it started having problems with Windows Update. Maybe Microsoft needs to check to see if their code is causing problems.

Apple & Amazon For Christmas?

Apple will apparently be announcing a new iPhone on Wednesday & probably a new smaller iPad next month. Last week Amazon announced updated & new Kindle models. So these will be the gadgets that people will be looking to buy a presents this fall.

But why? Do you need to buy a new phone every year? Of course not. But the Apple fanboys have to waste money on the latest idevice to prove how hip they are.

As for the new Kindles, well at least there is an actual new one. The Paperwhite is a different background. Not the grayish background that all e-readers have, but instead a more natural white, backlit reader that is supposed to be easier on the eyes, & simply easier to read. Price isn't that bad either. And the original Kindle is now under $70.

Now will I be buying any of these things? No. I don't have the money or the inclination to waste money on something I may or may not use. I bought a refurbished iPod 3 years ago. That I do use, but maybe only 5 hours a week. Your results may vary.

Why Can't PDF's Reload from Last Page Read?

Since i have to renew my driver's license, I started reading the driver's handbook. On the California DMV site, you can download a PDF of the entire handbook. but what i found was that unless I kept the PDF open, then when I woke up my computer & launched the site I would be back at page 1.

This is a problem. the PDF is over 100 pages. Why should I have to scroll down to where I left off. I remember once downloading a free book on Google & everytime I went back to it, it would open up to wherever I had left it. Same thing with Audible books.

Now maybe this is an issue with the format. but you would think after all these years that they could come up with a system that would be more convenient. I tried saving the document, but that doesn't change anything. It still opens on the first page. So I just decided to keep the document open on the taskbar. Oh well, maybe someday.

Fake Bruce Willis/iTunes Story

A fake story claiming Bruce Willis would sue Apple over the right to leave his iTunes collection to his children when he dies is causing a lot of talk. Not only on the web, but I just saw a story about it on the local Fox channel's 10 o'clock news.

What people don't realize is that the greedy labels forced Apple & Amazon & Google to put a ridiculous restriction on digital downloads. Namely that even though you paid $1.29 per track or $9.99 or up for a full digital CD, you don't technically "own" that music. Say what?

See, this is why everyone hates the record labels. It's not about "protecting the artist". The labels screw the artist every chance they get. You mean the over a hundred dollars I have given iTunes doesn't mean anything? I am only "renting" the music.

Of course, me & everyone else, or at least those who know better, make backups. I always burn a CD after I buy a download. Heck, that's what Apple advises. Besides if your hard drive fails or you want to transfer to a new computer, how else are you going to get your music on the new drive?

So while the story that started this is fraudulent, the truth is it caused people to realize what they can & can't do with "their" music.

 

Confused TV User Overthinks Tech

While listening to "The Tech Guy" I heard a caller who had a problem that was not helped by the host. Now I love the shows on TWIT. They are very informative & quite entertaining. The host Leo Laporte, however made it more difficult than it was.

The caller's problem was a soundbar that was blocking the infrared light on his flatscreen. So Leo & his guest, a home theater expert were trying to come up with high tech solutions, when a low tech one would have worked.

It's not spending lots of money on a "IR lifter", whatever that is. It's simply making sure the cable box is at a high enough level that the soundbar doesn't block it. I mean the soundbar isn't 5' tall.

My setup is this: My old 25" tube TV is on a TV stand. It sits on top. Then beneath that are 2 shelves behind a glass door. My Directv box is on the higher shelf. No soundbar would block the signal. The lower shelf has the DVD player & the VCR. Yeah, I'm old school. The VCR would probably be blocked, not sure about the DVD player. This is probably the setup for most people.

My cousin has his flatscreen on a built in shelf. It's big enough that the cable box & blue ray sit next to it on the shelf. Again, this is probably a regular setup. And of course, some people have the flatscreen hanging on the wall, with the cable box below it. Most people therefore don't have a problem with blocked signals.

It's just that people will overanalyse how to fix something. Happens all the time. just because it's tech doesn't mean you need a tech solution. Of course I don't have a soundbar. I have a cheap home theater system ($50 at Walmart) with the speakers on either side of the TV. Works like a charm & has for several years.