2005 January 13

One of our first mini-interviews has been posted to the show site. This time, I spoke with Pete Van Kessel of Texas Instruments to find out the differences between DLP, Plasma, and LCD screens. Even after hearing him talk about the various HDTV options, I'm still not sure what I'm going to get! DLP looks nice, but I've heard of something called a “rainbow effect” that can be annoying. Plasmas are still overpriced, IMHO. LCDs are definitely sharp, but to get your money's worth, you've gotta get a big screen.

Read more on Texas Instruments on DLP…

My friend is asking me to help, and since she's been nothing but helpful to me, I'm helping her. The following link is definitely not work safe – but this is something that Lili really wants to do. I wish her the best of luck with my public endorsement of her candidacy. Normally, I'm not into this kind of thing – but Lili deserves to win.

Read more on Lili VonSchtupp Needs Your Help…

Best swag of CES 2005: Energizer. At one of the press events, they offered shoulder-sling backpacks with a few sets of new “high tech” AA and AAA batteries inside. Since most of my current devices rely on proprietary rechargable batteries, I haven't been able to test these freebies against standard alkalines. According to Jake, the 2500mAh is really worth the price. They say:

Read more on Geek Batteries…

Whine, moan, complain – it's cathartic. Those who keep their complaints to themselves are doomed to implode. Yes, I lead a very happy life – with two very happy dogs and one very happy fiancee. When I complain, it's because I'm trying to get something off of my chest. There's nothing wrong with complaining, so long as you know what you're complaining about (and not necessarily complaining for the sake of complaining). My thoughts, unshared, don't do anybody any good. And instead of registering a complaint with any given marketing department, I choose to do it where anybody can read it. I'm just venting steam, realizing that I need to find another way to let my negative opinions go. Was I not conditioned to look on the bright side of life?

Read more on Complaints!…

Since they're still publishing a text-based newsletter, it's almost impossible to point you in the direction of the original content at this moment. That said, from the latest issue of Office for Mere Mortals (the beginner's Microsoft Office newsletter part of Woody's Watch) comes a series of cool “secret” keyboard shortcuts for Excel, the ever-popular spreadsheet application:

Read more on Spreadsheet Shortcuts…

I'm growing increasingly frustrated with Comcast. Down in the Valley, I had Time Warner (Digital Cable and Business Cable Internet service) and could not have been happier. Up here in Seattle, I'm too far away from the central office – making DSL not too much of a fantastic option. My only hope is Comcast, which doesn't offer much hope at all. When I say “static IP,” they run and hide. WTF?! Dude, I'm willing to pay more for your service – give it to me! There's no easy way to upgrade their Cable Internet services via the Web, and when I've called the posted number for business-class cable Internet, they direct me to someone's voice mail – who NEVER CALLS ME BACK! So, to recap, I want to spend more money with your company, Comcast, but you're not letting me. Something tells me I'm not the only disgruntled Comcast subscriber, either.

Read more on Cable vs. DSL…

Chris interviews Pete Van Kessel of Texas Instruments to find out the differences between DLP, Plasma, and LCD screen options.

MP3 | WMA
Read more on Texas Instruments on DLP…

CBs are seldom used by adults these days, although I've come to view mine as a sort of real-world instant messanger. The Citizen's Band is there for everybody! We opted to go with CBs instead of cell phones a few weeks ago on our trip northward – which turned out to be a good decision. Our CB terms were a bit flaky, but our flappers (read: ears) were always wide open. You should have a CB in your car for emergency purposes, anyway. I found this simple guide to CB “10″ jargon in a cached page (that's gone 10-404):

Read more on CB Radios…