Man, That Is Very Good

Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted at the Metro this weekend!

Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted at the Metro this weekend!

Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted at the Metro this weekend!

Yaaay!!!!

posted by Unknown @ 3:03 PM 1 comments

OK, it's minor pet peeve day. Here's a couple of things that have been bothering me.

When did the word "dilemna" start getting spelled "dilemma"? I swear it was dilemna when I was growing up.

At least I can accept that as an official English language spelling change. What I can't accept is the word "loser" continually being spelled "looser" in every friggin' internet article, including some respected websites that should know better. In fact, friggin' six-year-olds should know better. That drives me up the wall every time I see it. SO, for future reference,: Loser= one who loses. Looser=more loose; the opposite of tighter. Got it? Next, I will go into "there, their and they're", and when to use "it's" and when to use "its", including the part most everyone gets wrong, although it's understandable, as it is one of those English rules that breaks its own law. There, I just used both examples. Rob, Grammar Nazi, (while also being user of major run-on sentences) at your service. I rant, but I punctuate.

The last one for today is widescreen TV's. I love them, but I hate watching a standard 4x3 television image on a 16x9 television. Let me explain-

This is the size and shape of your old, standard TV screen. The ratio is 4 units wide by 3 units high.


Now, your standard TV broadcast is meant to fit the same aspect ratio..so, for example, last nights UFC fight between Chuck Lidell and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, should look something like this:



Now, your basic widescreen TV has not a 4x3 aspect ratio, but 16x9..a little wider than it is tall, hence the term widescreen, or letterbox.



What drives me crazy, and I see it everywhere, is seeing a 4x3 broadcast on a 16x9 display..it takes the image and stretches it horizontally, to make it fit the wider screen. The fight looked somewhat like this:



Anything distorted drives me absolutely crazy. Now, a high definition broadcast is actually done in the 16x9 aspect ration, so no stretching would be necessary, but not all shows or events are in HD yet.

The technical solution to this is what I do with my projector at home..It is a 16x9 ratio display, set so that when it receives a standard, 4x3 image, it does the reverse of letterbox, nicknamed pillarbox. It keeps the 4x3 image in the centre of the 16x9 frame, and adds black bars (or pillars) to either side, like so:



There you have it..a properly proportioned 4x3 show and a 16x9 display. But I can hear people now, saying, "Well, I bought a 37" diagonal LCD TV..if those black bars are there, it is effectively reduced to about the same size as a 28" diagonal screen!"

Well, yeah, that's why the diagonal measurements of widescreen TV's are deceiving. Yes they're physically bigger, but they're wider than the old TV's, and to fill it, it distorts the image. A 37" widescreen is basically a 28" screen with a few extra inches on each side. I would rather have the image smaller and in its intended aspect ration, than to fill the whole screen and have it stretched.

But I guess that's just me.

Actually, I would rather everything be broadcast in HDTV, 16x9, which will be someday, but who knows when. In the emantime, I would be happy if the 4x3 broadcast would be incorporated into the 16x9 window, but I know people would then freak out about the black bars on the side: I know people that still hate watching letterboxed movies on a 4x3 TV, with the black bars at top and bottom.

Oh well..this is a venting session, not a suggestion on fixing it all.

So endeth the lesson...

posted by Unknown @ 7:44 AM 2 comments

My Hands Are Bananas, thanks to Mike.

posted by Unknown @ 1:09 PM 0 comments

Less than two weeks now...

Season finale of Heroes was pretty good..not the greatest ever, but a good ending. I was hoping for more boom between Peter and Sylar, but as Mukey says, any scene that has some getting cranked with a parking meter is okay in my book.

As far as the trip, we finally have our passports in our hot little hands. A big relief that is, especially after being told at the passport office in April, "You applied by mail in February, to travel in June? Oh, you won't get them in time. Go get new birth certificates and apply again with less than a month to your trip."

I went back a week earlier than that, got Holly's rushed anyways, and had ours looked up, and they assured us we wold have ours in time. They arrived within the week.

Yeesh.

posted by Unknown @ 8:34 AM 0 comments

Not much new..Holly is 13 months old..saying lots of words. Like Miffy, she's a smart little bunny. No picture or link, so I don't get sued.

Scotland is approaching, less than three weeks, yay!

We're going to be in Scotland when the last episode of The Sopranos airs. Rats. But then I think..TV vs Scotland (or any travel). Scotland wins.

I feel really boring.

posted by Unknown @ 8:26 PM 2 comments

OK, I gave in and joined Facebook.

posted by Unknown @ 8:49 AM 1 comments

I'm holding out for an offer like this, but where Elvis actually performs the ceremony.

posted by Unknown @ 8:09 AM 0 comments

Not much new with me. Back at work, now a month away from our Scotland trip.

The wife, however, has some huge news. Lets just say it was a very emotional week.

In her words, names removed..
>Hello Everyone,
>
>I have some very exciting news to relay to all of you. I think that all of
>you know that I was adopted. I have always wanted to meet my birth mother
>and find out more about my background. I have thought about it for years,
>but never really did anything about it. In 2004 when the new law came in
>regarding adoption, I registered with the post adoption registry. I was
>sent
>info on my birth mother. Her name is **** **** ***** and the name she
>gave me was Trina Lee ****** (I am definitly not a "Trina").
>
>I looked up the last name ****** on the net and wrote down all the
>names/info that came up for Alberta. But I never did anything about it.
>
>Having Holly now, it has all come to ahead for me. I either have to leave
>it
>alone or do something. About a month and a half ago I sent out 10 letters
>to
>the addresses that I had. I got 3 e-mails back stating that they were not
>related. I was getting tired of waiting and just wanted to know whether or
>not she wanted to see me or not. I had a few names that only had phone
>numbers and one of the letters came back stating it was the wrong address.
>The letter that was returned, I had a very strong feeling was someone who
>would know ******.
>
>I phoned my friend Tamara and asked her if she would call the numbers that
>I
>had. Of course she said yes. Tamara will do just about anything, especially
>if it's getting her nose into something...i just love her to bits...she
>didn't get very far, left some messages. Well, **** ****, who was the
>one who's letter was returned phoned Tamara back and he is actually ****'s
>triplet brother. He told Tamara that ***** was away on holidays for 2 wks.
>
> This past Monday there was a
>message
>for me when I got home from work. It was *****. I fell to the floor laughing
>and crying. She gave me her number and said that she would call the next
>day. We talked and I found out that she and her husband and son (my half
>brother), own **** Auto Repair. 5 min away from my house by car. I told her to come over....
>
>She is wonderful. She has always hoped that I would look for her. She never
>searched for me out of respect for my mum. **** is so happy and so am I. I
>have a half brother, who is married , and
>they have a little 2month old, my nephew. This whole week has been
>a
>blur.
>
>My mum is really happy for me. I am so protective of her and don't want her
>to feel that I am trying to replace her. She has been so great. I don't
>know
>if mum and ****** are going to meet, time will tell.
>
>I can't tell you all how amazed I am that this reunion has gone so well.
>They have all welcomed me and my family with open arms. **** says that they
>are there as an extension of my family if I want them. I do....
>
>Best wishes to you all,
>Allison

posted by Unknown @ 10:51 AM 3 comments