Thoughts From My Life

Scrolling Horizontal Lines on Monitor

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:25:30 MST

Just to give you the run down. I recently purchased a different computer and in re-wiring everything, my monitor start to have fuzzy horizontal scrolling lines that would move slowly down the screen all the time. There were usually two on the screen at any given time and would takes several seconds to move to the bottom before another one would start at the top.

It seemed intermittent and I tried moving the cables around, but eventually it settled into being permanently there.

Solution

Anyhow, a friend of mine suggested that it could be interference as I was using the old VGA cable to connect to my computer. This is an analog signal and is subject to interference that digital cables are not. So I hooked up a DVI cable, since my video card also had that output on it and my monitor also had that input. That completely cleared up the problem and with the DVI cable I have none of those fuzzy lines moving down my screen.

Published on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:25:30 MST.

- 0 Comments

Dell Studio Slim Desktop

Tue, 19 May 2009 08:05:40 MST

I finally upgraded to a new computer. My last new desktop was purchased in November of 2002, which is a long time ago in the computer world. I have done a couple of upgrades, but for the most part it was pretty original. It was a Pentium 4 2.4GHz with 1GB RAM, an Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 128MB video card, 160GB hard drive, DVDRW, and that was pretty much it. It didn't even have USB 2.0 on it.

That being said, I could still photo edit with it, do some video editing, watch videos, and even play WoW. I sold it for $80 the first day I listed it in the Buy 'n' Sell.

The New Machine

I am quite impressed so far with my Studio Slim. I found it used in my city for only $400 so getting a bit of a deal was even a better find for me. Anyhow, here are the specs.

Dell Studio Slim Specs

Intel Quad Core Q6600 (2.4GHz)
4GB PC6400 DDR2 RAM (4 X 1GB)
Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit
ATI Radeon 3650 512MB DDR2
320 GB Hard Drive
DVDRW
15 in 1 card reader
Bluetooth
USB2.0 jacks front and back
Firewire
spare PCI slot
spare 3.5" internal bay

All-in-all, I feel it is a decent machine, especially considering where I came from with the old one. It seems a lot quicker and now I can actually watch some of those high-def video files I have.

Slimline

It is half the width of my old tower, which is pretty neat. One thing I notice with this is that there is only 1 PCI slot and 1 3.5" bay. So upgrading is a bit hampered. The PCI cards that do go in it have to be the slimline models. My ATI Radeon card is one of the models that have that availability.

Noise Factor

My old PC had become brutal for the noise from the fans. I could have fixed that somewhat by just purchasing some new ones, but I wasn't investing any more in into it. The new machine is very quiet I have to say. Fans intake/outakes are on 3 sides of the machine too.

Current Issues

Fuzzy Lines

I currently have some fuzzy horizontal lines that scroll down through the monitor. I have had a few times where they are not present, but for the most part they are always there. Going to try a few different cable configurations to check for interference and then go through some settings and driver checks with my video card. Not sure why it is is doing it.

32 Bit Operating Systems

It came pre-installed with Windows Vista 32 bit. This means the 4 GB of RAM installed can't actually be fully used, because it is unable to do so. I will probably consider upgrading to 64 bit at some point. The difference isn't really between the 3.5 it is capable of and the 4 installed, it will be when I actually upgrade to more RAM.

Published on Tue, 19 May 2009 08:05:40 MST.

- 0 Comments

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Theatre Calgary

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:21:04 MST

My wife and I attended Dirty Rotten Scoundrels that was part of our play series with Theatre Calgary. I have to say it was probably the funniest musical I have seen to date and I have seen a few in New York and others as they tour through.

As far as overall quality, I wouldn't say it was the best, but the humour was fantastic. Definitely more of an adult's performance with some low brow, crude humour.

It is basically about 2 con artists who woo wealth women and take advantage of them for their money. The one con artist is your older suave gentlemen and the other is a young one wanting to learn the ropes. The whole experience is hilarious.

I would recommend anyone to go see this sans your children.

Published on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:21:04 MST.

- 0 Comments

Xbox 360 Freezes on Splash Screen and E68 Error

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:28:00 MST

My Xbox 360 decided to not work the other day. Basically, 9 out of every 10 times I turn the power on, the Xbox 360 opening splash screen loads up and then doesn't go any further. I wouldn't say it freezes because the swirly animation of the circle in the symbol is still moving. It just never proceeds to the dashboard menu.

Then 1 out of every 10 times I boot it up, it will flash the lower right quarter circle, or one red ring of death, on the power button. It then takes me to a black screen that says Error E68 and to contact Microsoft.

Here is a video of the bootup screen I see. This is exactly what happens too. The animation swirls in with the sound and then it just sits there with the animation still moving. It is like it hangs or freezes on the splash screen.

Diagnosis

It turned out to be my hard drive. When I disconnected the 20GB hard drive (the grey device attached to the end of the Xbox 360 where the CD drive tray is), it will boot up no problems.

Unfortunately, the hard drive carries my profiles, my save games, and other downloaded content.

If you are seeing other error codes or behaviour, check out this Xbox 360 Error Code Forum for lots of useful information.

Solution

For the short term, I have purchased a 512MB flash memory card for the Xbox 360 on eBay. You can pick up a Hong Kong special for around US$30 or less. This is a lot cheaper than the $100 60GB hard drive which is the cheapest one in stores right now. If you are still on warranty, then you don't need to do this. Just read on below about warranty replacement.

I found a variety of solutions on YouTube and other forums, but none of them worked for me. You can always try them though.

I then proceeded to the Xbox support site that is run by Microsoft. There are some handy features there if you create an account. I was able to register my console and found out that the warranty is actually still good for 6 months.

I didn't like the repair section of their site as it was geared towards just sending in the entire Xbox and I was sure it was the hard drive so I decided to call.

You can use the phone number 1-800-4MY-XBOX. You will enter an automated assistance system that is a little bit annoying if you have already figured out your problem. Just say "AGENT" at any time and you will be directed to a real, live person. I never had a wait time over 2 minutes either.

You have to provide your Xbox 360 serial number and some personal information before you start. They ran me through their own series of tests to make sure it was the hard drive. One I hadn't done yet was to put my hard drive onto a friend's Xbox 360 and see if it exhibits the same behaviour. That is exactly what happened.

They will then give you a reference # for you case and I was told to mail it back to the service center for my country. Once they received it, they would send me a new one within 2-3 weeks. I had to pay the one way freight (US$10 that included a tracking number) and that was that.

The Microsoft service agent did not tell me to include any documentation, but I wrote a bunch of info onto a piece of paper and put it in the package. This was my name, the serial # of my Xbox 360, the problem, the reference number to my repair ticket that they quoted me on the phone, my return address, email, and phone numbers.

The address I mailed it to was:

Service Center
Dock 20
844 Don Mills Road
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M3C 1V7

I did some investigating and I don't believe this is an actual Microsoft facility, but really another company taking care of the service end for them in Canada.

Conclusion

I have sent it away this week, so this dilemma has not ended yet. I was told I would lose all my save games and would have to recover my profile using the Xbox 360 Dashboard when I get it running again. In the mean time, I'm hoping my 512MB memory card arrives. I think I might use it for all my save games and profiles from now on as the memory cards have a more reliable life span than a hard drive in my opinion (no moving parts).

Published on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:28:00 MST.

- 0 Comments

Survivors Camp in Oahu - Set For The Show "Lost"

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:09:20 MST

I was recently on vacation in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. I was given a handy tip by someone while I was there to find one of the locations for Lost. It is the survivors camp along the ocean. Funny thing is that just 30 yards away is a residential community, yet on the show it seems like it is in total seclusion.

It is on the north side of the island just to the east of the town of Haleiwa. Basically, just as you get out of town you along the Kamehameha Highway you will see a bus stop on the north side of the road just before a horse farm on the right hand side. There is a road that goes north to access the houses along the ocean.

If you drive along it, there will be a little parking spot and a narrow alley that is the public access to the beach. Simply go down to the beach, turn left and follow the beach for a couple hundred yards. You will see the orange plastic fence they have erected to keep people out of the set and there will be a security guard standing there.

Here is a map of the location I did on Google maps.

View Larger Map

Published on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:09:20 MST.

- 0 Comments

Roland FP-4 Digital Piano

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:25:12 MST

I have purchased my first digital piano recently. The Roland FP-4 is an excellent keyboard. Full set of 88 weighted keys, in a compact body, that Apple iPod white color, and built in speakers is exactly what I wanted.

In particular, the weighted feel (or the action) is quite nice on the Roland and more of what I wanted, even though it is in a higher price range than a number of other keyboards.

One thing I have to say is that any of the advanced features on the piano do not have an intuitive interface to use them (recording and playback, etc).

The music rest is neat on the white Roland as well. It is a clear fibreglass back with white metal base for the music to sit on.

Published on Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:25:12 MST.

- 0 Comments

2009...A New Year

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:25:37 MST

2009 is here. I have to apologize for the lack of content the past few months. I have really been dogging it. This blog represents a lot about what is going on in my life. I use it as a diary of thoughts and ideas that are going on and lately it has been about holidays and my work, so I haven't entertained much extra curricular stuff.

I'm going to get back on the horse here shortly though. I need to do some earnings reports and a few more finance related articles that have been on my mind.

Published on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:25:37 MST.

- 1 Comments

Fred Thompson on the Economy

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:56:56 MST

Published on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:56:56 MST.

- 1 Comments

All The Flights In the World Over 24 Hours

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:51:09 MST

This is a very cool video that was created using data publicly available on the internet. It shows 24 hours worth of flights from around the world in a span of 72 seconds. It also lights up the earth in reference to the position of the sun.

Published on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:51:09 MST.

- 1 Comments

Cyanide and Happiness - Razorblades Dog Food

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:12:23 MST

My favourite cartoon strip. Thought I would reprint this one.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Published on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:12:23 MST.

- 1 Comments