tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49541640040885233822024-03-08T04:34:14.022-07:00The Invisible BlogIf you find something here that helps you live a better life (music, film, tech, how to, code, artwork, design ideas, gig advice, etc...) and you'd like to reciprocate, please consider buying some of <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DanBeahmandTheInvisibleThree/from/renboy">my music</a> or my <a href="http://LeadingLadiesMovie.com">feature film</a> (or just slip me some cash using the "donate" button)!MCM Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12539971864405693982noreply@blogger.comBlogger424125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-8942439521366170512021-02-15T14:44:00.002-07:002021-02-15T14:45:18.711-07:00Switching Between Various Profiles for Multiple Monitor Configurations<p>I honestly cannot believe the dirth of solutions for the problem I was facing.</p><p>With everything moving to "stay at home" and mobile workplace scenarios, I recently started using a laptop again. Obviously the reason to use a laptop is so you can work in multiple places, and, as such, utilize multiple configurations.</p><p>When I'm in my studio, I'm using four monitors.</p><p>When I'm on the road in my Airstream, I'm using the laptop monitor and a television for an extension monitor.</p><p>When I'm gaming in the studio, I enable only two ultrawide external monitors.</p><p>When I'm gaming in a mobile location, I use only the laptop monitor.</p><p>When I work or game in the house (by the fireplace!), I'm using just the 4k TV.</p><p>So what kind of solution does Windows 10 have for switching between all these scenarios?</p><p><b><i>NONE!!!</i></b></p><p>All I wanted was a way to save various profiles for these display configurations. I can't believe there is no native solution. Furthermore, NVIDIA doesn't seem to provide a solution either! From what I could find, the only other programs that provide something like what I'm looking for are bloated with all kinds of other garbage (menus, background switchers, etc.). I just want to switch between Windows display profiles. That is all.<br /></p><p>Luckily there are people like <a href="https://sourceforge.net/u/martink84/profile/" target="_blank">martinK84</a> in this world.<i> </i> Martin created a program called <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/monitorswitcher/" target="_blank">Monitor Profile Switcher</a>. It's very light, and works very well.</p><p>I was a little nervous about installing a program from an unknown publisher, and as such, I can't really vouch for the security of such a program, but so far, so good. <br /></p><p>I can also see a potential for someone creating a profile that prevents them from accessing the controls, because they've disabled any monitors currently in use, but Martin preemptively addresses that possible scenario with this paragraph:</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>What if anything goes wrong?</b><br />
The worst possible case is that you somehow manage to disable all your
monitors, although very unlikely theoretically it could happen. If
everything goes black try to make sure that all devices which are
attached to the computer are actually turned on and see if you see an
image anywhere (even a monitor/tv without power counts as attached
device). If nothing helps boot windows into safe mode to fix the
problem.</blockquote> The program is listed as "beta" and notes that it does not currently work with NVIDIA's Surround and AMD's Eyefinity Technologies. Also, USB GPU's are not currently supported, but experimental support has already been implemented for Version 0.6.0., so it's on the way! <p></p><p>Thanks, martink84. You rule.<br /></p><p><i>...<br /></i></p><p><br /></p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-49864149331048565122021-01-14T12:18:00.000-07:002021-01-14T12:18:08.040-07:00Prevent Paragraph Double Spacing When Responding to Forum Posts in Firefox<p>It's infuriating that the default setting for Firefox is to double space paragraphs when you are responding to posts in forums. Here is the fix...</p><p>Type about:config in the address bar. You will be shown a warning letting you know that you can really screw up your browser messing around with these settings.</p><p></p><p>Type editor.use in the search bar and you will see a setting for "editor.use_div_for_default_newlines"</p><p>Change the setting to false, and your responses in forums will no longer be double spaced.</p><p> </p><p>... <br /></p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-58605138430434941902020-09-30T14:32:00.005-06:002020-09-30T14:32:25.129-06:00Watching Media from USB on LG Smart Tv<p> Since LG has done such an abysmal job of providing any meaningful information on the topic of watching videos from a thumb drive via an LG Smart TV... I guess I will do the work for them.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnppG7o_5LixB2UO1m00HJM0UItTgMLICvpJy8AnLLX7RIDi3S077gVA4yHtnJfvMajfjkA6VXH4Cnd3ZJP8cT6O0JBGqyGeeuui4qdyqEtwrMCmoef47E4eTo3e6SwFhv_FsZl4KLxm2l/s940/24LJ4840-WU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnppG7o_5LixB2UO1m00HJM0UItTgMLICvpJy8AnLLX7RIDi3S077gVA4yHtnJfvMajfjkA6VXH4Cnd3ZJP8cT6O0JBGqyGeeuui4qdyqEtwrMCmoef47E4eTo3e6SwFhv_FsZl4KLxm2l/s320/24LJ4840-WU.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>The USB drive evidently has to be formatted as Fat32 (exFat, even though the new "universal standard," will not work).</p><p>The TV can read most typical video formats, including to my surprise, MKV.<br /></p><p>After searching and searching for any meaningful information on how to get things working (file formats, file structure, etc.), I finally just started poking around in the TV settings to see what I could find. Eventually I found a way to format my USB drive <i>with </i>the television, so that at least showed me what format the TV preferred (Fat32). Formatting via the TV named the USB drive "no name" and created a folder called "LG Smart TV." In that folder is a subfolder named "TN," and inside that folder is a file called "INFO."</p><p>The INFO file contains this data:</p><p></p><blockquote>{"INFO":"{ \"core_os_release\": \"3.8.0-61408\", \"returnValue\": true }{ \"device_name\": \"m2r\", \"returnValue\": true }"}</blockquote>After formatting the USB drive with the television, I popped it back into my computer and loaded it with some videos I had created via Handbrake. However, since the drive is now formatted as Fat32 with a 4GB file size limit, none of my MKV's ripped from my DVD/BluRay collection can be placed on the drive (those files are larger than 4GB).<p></p><p>There is some information on the LG website that indicates you can also use the NTFS format, which would allow larger file sizes, so I reformatted the USB drive to NTFS using my computer, and sure enough, NTFS works as well. Therefore, I can now watch the larger MKV files via USB on the LG TV. Huzzah!</p><p>...</p><p><br /></p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-61511457840008054432020-09-16T14:24:00.006-06:002020-09-16T14:29:00.381-06:00ErgodoxEZ Split Ergonomic Keyboard for Video and Music<br /><p>My Microsoft Sculpt was failing me. I don't know if it was my incredible typing speed (ha!) or faulty hardware, but there were way too many "failed strokes" for me to keep using a wireless keyboard. I love the Sculpt's layout, low profile, and portability, but it doesn't matter how good something <i>feels </i>if it doesn't <i>work</i>.</p><p>I started coding for design at the turn of the Millennium (so fun to say!), and quickly learned how bad a "regular" keyboard is for 10 hours or so of daily use. Back then, there weren't a whole lot of "ergo keyboard" options; the MS Natural Keyboard was pretty much it. But I found that my shoulder/wrist issues necessitated getting my mouse closer to the keyboard (my arm was sticking out to far to the side), so a keyboard with no number pad became imperative. Thus, I figured out how to saw off the number pad (as well as configuring various incarnations of track pads and tiny track-balls incorporated into the keyboard housing in various locations).<br /></p><p>When Microsoft released the Natural Keyboard 4000, I upgraded, but again had to saw off the number pad. Finally, in 2013 they released the Sculpt, and to my joy, it came with the numpad detached! However, after years of use, the "wireless-ness" of the Sculpt can no longer fulfill my needs. Thus, the search for a new <i>wired </i>keyboard began.<br /></p><p>There is a dirth of one-piece split keyboards with no number pad. And once you get into two-piece "coding" boards, the price goes up dramatically.</p><p>I researched for a couple of months, and the ErgodoxEZ and Dygma Raise ended up as my two finalists. However, the Dygma uses it's own (though still open-source) Bazecor software for layout and functionality, which even after a couple of years in the real world seems to still have many issues (as reported by regular users), so I was definitely leaning toward the Ergodox, which utilizes a more established and ubiquitous open-source software and has many "compilers" available online for easy access and use.</p><p>Over the years social media and template-based web design has turned me
off to designing for the web and the coding that used to go along with it (HTML, PHP, Java, etc.), but I still use a keyboard for 8 to 10
hours a day; it's just spread over more activities, the primary being video and music editing.</p><p>I began researching split mechanical keyboards just for their ergonomic benefit, but I quickly became very interested in how I could utilize the magic of programming the layout and key functionality to improve my editing workflow.<br /></p><p>Now that I had decided which board was going to be best for me, I started watching eBay and Craigslist to find something a little more affordable than the $350 (!!!) the ErgodoxEZ was going to cost new. The boards on eBay were mostly in auction format and still going for nearly retail. Craigslist had pretty much nothing listed except a Dygma Raise for pretty much MSRP. However, after a couple weeks of diligently watching, I got super lucky and found someone "cleaning out old stuff" who was selling an early model ErgodoxEz (no tent legs, no back light) along with a "Let's Split" tiny, mechanical, split keyboard for $100!</p><p>I've spent the last couple of weeks familiarizing myself with how everything works, developing my keyboard layout, switching out key caps, loving the "clickity-clack" of mechanical switches, and getting used to using a keyboard that looks and feels nothing like a "regular" keyboard.</p><p>For the configuration part, you just create a layout using Ergodox's free <a href="https://configure.ergodox-ez.com" target="_blank">online configurator</a> (or one of the many others out there), then click "compile" and download the binary hex file to your computer. You then use a tiny little executable called "<a href="https://ergodox-ez.com/pages/wally" target="_blank">Wally</a>" to flash the hex file to your board.</p><p>The fun part is the vast array of functionality with which you can program each key (multiple functions, macros, etc.). The fact that you can use <i>layers </i>is also great. Basically, with a keystroke, the entire keyboard can have each and every key reassigned to a new function... and you can have pretty much as many layers as you wish.</p><p>I began my journey with the Ergodox by looking for layouts that others had created for video/music editing, and surprisingly, I couldn't find a single one. I don't know if it was due to sub-par searching skills, or the fact that these boards are targeted more at coders and gamers, but I couldn't find anything with "video," "editing," "Premiere," or even "Adobe" in the description. After a while I finally found a layout with "Avid" in the title, but it appeared to be just the default keyboard layout.</p><p>What I quickly learned is that there are so many layouts available online in Ergodox's un-curated database that it would be futile to try and find one that fit my exact needs. It has taken a few weeks, and I'm still making changes on a daily basis, but it's getting to a point where I am definitely in love with this board and what a customized layout can offer.<br /></p><p>One thing I decided early in my keyboard development was that I was going to base the general layout on the "status quo." I think a lot of people go so far outside the realm of normalcy that when they don't have their personal keyboard with them, they can't use a "normal" board! I find this dilemma frustrating enough when I'm on someone else's computer, and I just don't have a split keyboard or my trackball or ShuttlePRO, so I didn't want to paint myself into a corner getting used to a keyboard layout that would alter my muscle memory into oblivion.</p><p>Thus, the first layer of my layout is based largely on the MS Sculpt that I have been using for the past seven years. I have tweaked the layout a bit to maximize functionality with Adobe Premiere, but it's largely just a "normal" keyboard layout. However, a lot of the "extra" keys are programmed with dual functionality or even macros that allow me to execute Premiere functions more quickly.</p><p>At first, I was worried I was going to have to program all the "shift" functionality for each key, but evidently that's an Operating System thing, so you don't have to <i>program </i>for that. Any key in combination with "shift" does what it would normally do on any keyboard: lower case and capital, but also symbols with their pre-assigned secondary functions (i.e. ";" becomes ":" with the shift key). <br /></p><p>The second layer I created for media and navigation. I set one of the first layer keys as a "momentary switch" so that when pressed and held, the rest of the keyboard becomes controls for the media player, navigation arrows, etc. The second layer also hosts my "mouse keys." The Ergodox has some cool "mouse" functionality that I haven't played with much yet, but basically they make it possible to control the cursor as you would with a mouse, except with key strokes. It sounds clunky, but evidently it's pretty effective once you get used to it.</p><p>The third layer I created as symbols and numbers, with the layout based on an actual number pad (along with it's specific functionality).</p><p>And that's about as far as I've gotten to date I'm not sure if I'll create a fourth layer loaded up with macros and multi-function Adobe Premiere and After Effects keys, but right now I'm just getting used to and enjoying the improved functionality afforded by the current layout and combination keys.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpa7Mk8m2VpTRmYVi1SkKlYskKtlE65YixoEGVNuV40cWmsU_ys5KbCNzvPRhum10ZCMUkMhJXVPa058TtnKR0HHyjZfo0tp-SXlbQpAsLHPmufQaqV7h_7hmwsyhIdUiiVnhWMqOhUZj/s2048/ergodoxPremiere.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpa7Mk8m2VpTRmYVi1SkKlYskKtlE65YixoEGVNuV40cWmsU_ys5KbCNzvPRhum10ZCMUkMhJXVPa058TtnKR0HHyjZfo0tp-SXlbQpAsLHPmufQaqV7h_7hmwsyhIdUiiVnhWMqOhUZj/w320-h320/ergodoxPremiere.JPG" title="Ergodox Premiere Layout" width="320" /></a></div><p>One final note: my ErgodoxEZ came with blank key caps, which is fine for "hands on" (literally) typing, but when I'm editing video and recording music, my hands are rarely fused to the home row. Instead they are often handling peripheral controllers or jotting down notes. Quickly finding keys is difficult with nothing printed on them! Luckily the "mini split" that came along with the Ergodox had printed keycaps. I switched out all the ones that would work (letters and a few symbols), and then I penciled in the symbols and functions on the rest of the blank keys. Obviously pencil marks aren't going to last long (not to mention they're hard to see), so I'm looking for a decent solution for printing on key caps. I have seen a few people online having success with laser etching/engraving and toner, so I may try that at some point, but it would be nice to find a more permanent way to quickly mark key caps with their assigned functions. That's really my only "gripe" at this point, but everything else is a great improvement upon my previous situation!<br /></p><p>If you want to try out the layout I have created (and alter it for your own use), here is the link to Ergodox site:
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<iframe src="https://configure.ergodox-ez.com/embed/ergodox-ez/layouts/VYgpY/latest/0" style="border: 0; height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe>
</div><p></p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-35766174087932692502020-06-04T11:53:00.000-06:002020-06-04T11:53:58.009-06:00Adobe Essential Graphics - Not Ready for Prime TimeWith Premiere CC v14, Adobe is forcing us to switch from Titles (now "legacy" titles) to the new "Essential Graphics" system. In theory, this is a better system for titles and light graphics (you can even incorporate motion), but they released the "feature" WAY before it was ready for public use.<br />
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My first gripe is a big one: you cannot "nudge" type areas with the arrow keys. To move a text field, you have to either physically drag it (not precise), or use the horizontal/vertical transform controls in the Essential Graphics panel (not convenient).<br />
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While there are <i>many </i>other issues, the rest of this post will be dedicated to file management for graphics (files) used in "motion graphics templates."<br />
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If you place a graphic (a logo, for instance) via the "new layer" drop down choice "From file" in the Essential Graphics panel, Premiere just drops the file into your project wherever it feels like it. If you've got twenty or more folders in a project, good luck finding your file (you can use "reveal in project" from the timeline, but wtf?)! So once you add a file via the Essentials Graphics panel, you'll need to manually move said file to a Motion Graphics (or some other) folder to keep things from getting super cluttered. Additionally, if you create a "Master Graphics Template," Premiere copies the graphic file that you've utilized to a system folder (not just a bin in your project) that Premiere <i>creates </i>called "Motion Graphics Template Media." This new folder on your hard drive will be filled with folders that have been named with <i>randomly generated strings</i> of characters as if Adobe is trying to prevent us from finding OUR OWN graphics files. Each Graphics Template has it's own folder named by a long random string (i.e. 0df6380f-23b8-467c-9040-8d2e5dc1096e), but then that folder has a <i>subfolder </i>named simply by the SAME NAME as the Graphics Template you created. WHY IS THE RANDOM STRING FOLDER NECESSARY?! The bigger question is this... why can't Premiere just access the graphic from it's original location (thus preventing the need for TWICE AS MUCH space to store the file)? If you need to export your template to a new location or another computer, I could see copying the files <i>then</i> to keep them in the template, but create a duplicate right off the bat? Inefficient and confusing to say the least.<br />
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Another issue that drives me nuts: there doesn't seem to be an option to "update Motion Graphics Template" if you make a change to it in your timeline. For instance, if you're using a template and you make a small adjustment to the text, you only have the option to "Export as Motion Graphics Template" at which point you can either save the template again with the same name and then go back into your library, figure out which is the old template, and manually delete the old one, or give the adjusted template a new name (at which point you will STILL need to delete the old template that is now obsolete from your library).<br />
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Finally, as referenced in the above issue, if you create two Motion Graphics
Templates and place them in the same library, and you name them with the
same title, Premiere will not let you know that you've created a title
with the exact same name. In other words, you could create 30 Motion
Graphics Templates, all with the same name; then when you need to use
the template you created, you have to sift through all the templates with the same name to see which one is the correct one. Brilliant.The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-58619715806309281582020-06-02T11:40:00.001-06:002020-06-04T11:55:26.317-06:00Windows 10 Clip Board "bin"For years Windows users have had to install third-party software to be able to store more than one item on their "clipboard" (where things go when you cut-and-paste [Ctrl]-C or [Ctrl]-X). But with a recent update to Windows 10, Microsoft has finally implemented a multi-item clipboard "bin."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_y-MQQUo9hg8JcRGvwJxLxfX1c37ogaD61tgjGA0sKTojTk7TUTCiC7M4Om6Q0lM_8szGSjTEtO2951E2X8RSj-OdPPGu54luBMngGJJjxet5HW7kSGL-cVlAoqygmDjMR_9V3nRIJyL/s1600/AllTheThingsClipboard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="995" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_y-MQQUo9hg8JcRGvwJxLxfX1c37ogaD61tgjGA0sKTojTk7TUTCiC7M4Om6Q0lM_8szGSjTEtO2951E2X8RSj-OdPPGu54luBMngGJJjxet5HW7kSGL-cVlAoqygmDjMR_9V3nRIJyL/s320/AllTheThingsClipboard.png" width="212" /></a></div>
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The usual cut-and-paste shortcuts still work as they always have, but now you have the option to [Win]-V (windows key + v) and a pop-up will present you with a list of all the things you've cut or copied since turning on your machine last. This means that from one page, you can cut or copy many items and have access to ALL OF THEM when you go to the location you want to paste those things. No more going back and forth from various tabs or documents to cut and paste.<br />
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This is an incredible time saver.<br />
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And not only can you access things you've previously cut or copied during your current session, but you can <i>PIN </i>items to the clipboard for permanent access! This is a major boon to my daily workflow.<br />
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Now instead of having to create a document with commonly used bits of text (common correspondence, various signatures, common strings, etc.), I can pin those things to the clipboard and access them straight from Win-V anytime I wish!<br />
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<i>That </i>is an even bigger time saver.<br />
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When you open your clipboard, each item will have the ubiquitous "triple dot" next to it. The options from that menu are "delete," "pin," and "clear all."<br />
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If you use multiple Windows devices, you can also choose to <i><b>sync </b></i>your clipboard so the items are accessible across as many devices as you wish. Just type "sync clipboard" in your Windows search bar and follow the instructions!<br />
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...<br />
<br />The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-2889678842292957332019-07-09T14:05:00.003-06:002020-06-04T11:56:15.063-06:00Neewer Vision4 and Visico 4 - SAME FLASH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's
incredible to me how difficult it has been to find a user's
manual for the Neewer Vision4 flash. I finally found some information
that clued me in to the fact that Neewer's Vision4 is a rebranded Visico
4, and I <i>could </i>find a manual for the Visico.</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71siVo32X-L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71siVo32X-L._SL1500_.jpg" border="0" class="shrinkToFit" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71siVo32X-L._SL1500_.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/69EAAOSwmoVan5ui/s-l1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/69EAAOSwmoVan5ui/s-l1600.jpg" border="0" class="shrinkToFit" height="200" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/69EAAOSwmoVan5ui/s-l1600.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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So this post is just to let people know: if you're searching for a Neewer Vision4 manual, search instead for Visico 4 (which is much easier to find).</div>
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The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-73347642293356796442019-02-01T14:11:00.000-07:002019-02-01T14:11:52.913-07:00Why Won't My Dough Rise?!My last two batches of bread haven't risen. Like, at all.<br />
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I finally decided to spend a little time figuring out what's going on, and it turns out, it all comes down to <b>temperature </b>(at least it did for me).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCdQBC-53UrXpTqGnhbPrJlnc1cWGsz5wp_eK8RlEIJTA6n0FTEUVNwf9ZV15XLz0HtL56mr9c3l9iIbdPDGun8Swa7DLWXiPuqXV1SOO1aIigSvcXeiygDQl9YzD3rqMsrjmIP80C7Io/s1600/IMG_20190119_115657090_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCdQBC-53UrXpTqGnhbPrJlnc1cWGsz5wp_eK8RlEIJTA6n0FTEUVNwf9ZV15XLz0HtL56mr9c3l9iIbdPDGun8Swa7DLWXiPuqXV1SOO1aIigSvcXeiygDQl9YzD3rqMsrjmIP80C7Io/s320/IMG_20190119_115657090_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a>There are quite a few reasons why dough might not rise (dead yeast, other ingredients killing or impeding the yeast's ability to work properly, etc.), but temperature is probably the most common issue.<br />
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I knew temperature mattered, but what I didn't realize was just <i>how small</i> the window for error is.<br />
<br />
I run hot, so I tend to keep my house pretty cool, especially in the winter (when baking is more fun). I also consider myself way more of a "cook" than a "baker." As such, I'm used to winging it, shooting from the hip, improvising, experimenting, and being altogether way more reckless than is acceptable with baking, where apparently you have to stick to the rules a little (or a lot) more.<br />
<br />
I've got an insanely delicious Oatmeal Bread recipe from my mom/aunt that reminds me of childhood and all things good in this world. The recipe says you should put a package of yeast in 3/4 cups of lukewarm water with 1/16 teaspoon of sugar and 1/16 teaspoon of ginger. There are two problems with this. 1. "Lukewarm" can be quite different from one person to another. 2. Ginger is actually an anti-fungal, and yeast belongs to the fungus family!<br />
<br />
I wonder if the pinch of ginger is to keep the dough from going crazy. A kitchen that is in constant use is warm or even hot, and my mom and aunt's kitchens were certainly that way. So maybe they needed something to actually keep the yeast in check. My 64 degree kitchen doesn't need any help. It will keep yeast from "doing its thing" on its own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTM2hx4CYfsGGuRgxlrkDpcjJ0M4xAokTDuf7zaPx8HL06FyKt21HgiXPHr9LT_2yACgWy8O27WkjHoeHITI71nojjkLi3fM8CLHLp0zIZBv4WS6bF4He1bEBQY2vkTRfS1KxW9TmZQClt/s1600/IMG_20190119_115456084_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTM2hx4CYfsGGuRgxlrkDpcjJ0M4xAokTDuf7zaPx8HL06FyKt21HgiXPHr9LT_2yACgWy8O27WkjHoeHITI71nojjkLi3fM8CLHLp0zIZBv4WS6bF4He1bEBQY2vkTRfS1KxW9TmZQClt/s320/IMG_20190119_115456084_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
And then there's this idea of "lukewarm." In my research, people suggested yeast should proof anywhere from 70 on the low end, to 105 on the high end. I think the window is even more narrow. I decided to experiment with temps, by placing yeast and sugar into some water at "room temperature" (my room temperature) and then bringing the temp up slowly to see where the yeast started to get happy. Sure enough, even though I was starting out with warm water, by the time it hit the (cold) pyrex measuring cup and I added yeast to it, it was sub 70. I placed my thermometer in the pyrex measuring cup and then placed the measuring cup in a bowl and began to incrementally add water from my instant-hot tap. I was surprised to see that even around 75 degrees, not much was happening. 80 was better, but it wasn't until around 90 that things really started to happen. So from now on, I will be sure that my yeast water is at 90 degrees.<br />
<br />
The other thing I have to worry about in my cold kitchen is the temperature of the <i>mixing bowl</i>. I didn't think <i>that </i>would make much of a difference (thinking it would only drop the dough's temperature a tiny bit), but I was wrong. From now on I will be warming the bowl with hot water and then keeping it in an oven set for proofing.<br />
<br />
The final element of fixing my dough-rise problems is actually using the oven to "proof" (placing the kneaded dough in an oven set at a relatively low temperature specifically for rising). I had been doing this already, but not really paying much attention to getting the oven warm enough or keeping it there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoQbuZY66xQDSmuuwtmYdGkFlYSpr1WU0vKNwKKSHnNo_zPKFCQt5NU945sTbtf4AzqRKSzzMkjJsVKADUv-qFOAmNpoiIhB9TSGaof7WxN7CzlOPoZR9zHCna7VepBA9QyFQyvjAkbkv/s1600/IMG_20190119_120319586_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoQbuZY66xQDSmuuwtmYdGkFlYSpr1WU0vKNwKKSHnNo_zPKFCQt5NU945sTbtf4AzqRKSzzMkjJsVKADUv-qFOAmNpoiIhB9TSGaof7WxN7CzlOPoZR9zHCna7VepBA9QyFQyvjAkbkv/s320/IMG_20190119_120319586_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>
<br />
If you don't have an oven that does well for proofing, there are a couple of tricks you can try. My oven doesn't really start keeping temperature until it's around 125 degrees, which is a bit too high. Therefore, I set the oven as low as I can to where it will kick on and off (you can watch the indicator light or listen for the "click"), and then I just keep the door open a bit. This will cause a greater fluctuation in temperature, so to combat that, I simply placed a couple of my iron skillets on the bottom rack to assist with keeping the temperature constant (the skillets act as heat sinks). I used my thermometer to monitor things, and I'm able to keep the oven interior at about 100 degrees, which seems perfect to me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnE-cTEcpEWkBeqdoFGFducpt5ihtrmjA_fPcxnjP-wtP5OcIS3Usj2BWsGGiEf1j1_jmC58_rPK2W3X3yXqXR3ChzeraRrMBnFpx96kXFaPO5lfgjuB2yr7sDwTCZYXyx8lMBXQfIjRm7/s1600/IMG_20190119_120019891_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnE-cTEcpEWkBeqdoFGFducpt5ihtrmjA_fPcxnjP-wtP5OcIS3Usj2BWsGGiEf1j1_jmC58_rPK2W3X3yXqXR3ChzeraRrMBnFpx96kXFaPO5lfgjuB2yr7sDwTCZYXyx8lMBXQfIjRm7/s320/IMG_20190119_120019891_HDR.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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Finally, and especially with the door cracked open, you will want to add an element to keep the rising dough's atmosphere moist. A lot of people place a damp towel over the bowl, and while that helps a <i>bit</i>, I have started placing a shallow pan of hot water on the bottom rack where the iron skillets are hanging out. Not only that, but I leave the water there when baking the bread, and I've found it really helps with the consistency and texture of the bread!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y9Tlg2mDRDfFkIl1EbR2Dee2JooLwy5mHcQ6vy9QP1tZeGsICbGeAzvje2gHSt69JyB2vXtS-BafVKtOX9xicF-qO8X2EKCJEDio1rZwWXe-DydNPG8P_FdfpGzKIFp5H-qT-jCMo859/s1600/IMG_20190119_134350197_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y9Tlg2mDRDfFkIl1EbR2Dee2JooLwy5mHcQ6vy9QP1tZeGsICbGeAzvje2gHSt69JyB2vXtS-BafVKtOX9xicF-qO8X2EKCJEDio1rZwWXe-DydNPG8P_FdfpGzKIFp5H-qT-jCMo859/s320/IMG_20190119_134350197_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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So that's it. If you're having trouble getting your bread to rise, and you know your yeast isn't dead, chances are things aren't warm enough!</div>
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...</div>
The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-44148131113699648722019-01-19T14:04:00.001-07:002019-01-19T14:04:41.040-07:00PluralEyes Trouble Syncing Continuous Footage (splitting media into mutliple tracks for sync)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgWWYlXbDEwOuxK63javj0n9Flm6rKuwzCGX4MQRSV61GOYwk6hQlu9QiVfaVLYnugy_1M06Uwn-OmzSiLw4mbmlPHmnr-Q0DZD9_FZlkABtjZQbPSam775qSQlffdIsujNHES7ST5gxx/s1600/PluralEyesSplittingMedia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="234" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgWWYlXbDEwOuxK63javj0n9Flm6rKuwzCGX4MQRSV61GOYwk6hQlu9QiVfaVLYnugy_1M06Uwn-OmzSiLw4mbmlPHmnr-Q0DZD9_FZlkABtjZQbPSam775qSQlffdIsujNHES7ST5gxx/s320/PluralEyesSplittingMedia.JPG" width="128" /></a></div>
I have been working on a project where we shot a week of live performances running anywhere from 4 to 9 cameras with two dedicated audio recorders each night. Before a program like Red Giant PluralEyes, this would have been a <i>NIGHTMARE </i>to organize and sync.<br />
<br />
That said, it's still a bit of a nightmare.<br />
<br />
One thing I've run into that I wanted to document for others but also for my own future reference is the difficulty PluralEyes has with syncing audio when the clips are butted up against one another. In other words, with footage that has been recorded by a camera that records continuously but splits the footage up into multiple clips (we used some Sony AX100's and CX900's as "safety cams"), PluralEyes often freaks out. As you're sitting there watching the sync, it looks like all is well. All the clips are turning green and the arrows are lining up, but then at the last second... all the clips spread out and a good number of them turn red.<br />
<br />
I've found a work around that isn't too terribly painful. You just need to find the offending media and break it up into two tracks where you load every <i>other </i>clip. For instance, all the footage from one of the Sony AX100's is placed into two bins, AX100 01 and AX100 02. Then I place every other clip starting with the odd numbers in the "01" bin, and then every other clip starting with even numbers in the "02" bin. This seems to make PluralEyes happier.<br />
<br />
At first I was using the "Add takes in new bins (one file per bin)" button, but that becomes a nightmare to organize once you import the files into Premiere (so. many. tracks.).<br />
<br />
So now, once I export my XML file from PluralEyes and then import it into Premiere, there are only two tracks for each "problem" camera, instead of a track for every clip from the offending cameras.The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-79513780033390574212018-09-01T17:13:00.001-06:002018-09-01T17:13:19.829-06:00Installing PowerAmp on an Older Android Device That Can't Access Google PlayI use my old HTC Droid Incredible for a media player. I would TOTALLY still use it for my main phone if it weren't for the fact that it maxes out at 3G and Verizon has stopped allowing older devices to be activated. I love, love, love it's small size, and I also love the optical joy stick. PLEASE, oh world's makers of phones, bring small phones and the optical joy stick back!!!<br />
<br />
Anyway... I have ripped my hundreds and hundreds of CD's to FLAC. That means I need a player that will handle FLAC files. The native Android player on Gingerbread does not support FLAC (or much of anything else). After a bunch of research, I've landed on PowerAmp as my app of choice.<br />
<br />
Now comes the problem. Google Play no longer supports Android Gingerbread, and my Droid Incredible is running Android 2.3.4. I just want to play FLAC files with my beloved Droid.<br />
<br />
I e-mailed PowerAmp, and they weren't much help. In fact, here is there reply:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Google quit supporting Android 2.3 so you may have to find and download
older Play version"</blockquote>
Yeah. Thanks loads for all the help.<br />
<br />
So I can't download PowerAmp via Google Play (what is called "Market" on my phone). I also can't side load the PowerAmp APK to my Droid because Android 2.3.4 doesn't have a file browser, thus if I drop the APK onto the phone via USB from my computer, there is no way to get to it from inside the phone. Even if you put it in the "Downloads" folder (to which Android 2.3.4 does allow access), the APK file won't show up because it wasn't put there by Android's Downloads Manager! Furthermore, I can't download the app from the PowerAmp website, because the only way to access the internet from the phone is via the baked-in "Internet" app on Android 2.3.4. That app does not support secure web connections (and thus really shouldn't be used to access today's internet, except my hand is currently being forced).<br />
<br />
After searching for a work around, a long and convoluted process that I won't bore you with, I figured out a way to get things done.<br />
<br />
I used my back up app (MyBackup Pro) on my everyday phone (a Moto Droid Z Force) to create an APK for both PowerAmp and the PowerAmp Unlocker that were on that phone.<br />
<br />
I then uploaded those APK's to a <i>non-secure</i> web site --any old website to which you have FTP access and can upload files. I would advise renaming the APK's so they are easy to type in and then place them as close to the root as you can so you don't have to do a lot of typing. (i.e. YourDomain.com/poweramp.apk and YourDomain.com/unlock.apk)<br />
<br />
Thus I was able to download the two APK's via the "Internet" app on my Android 2.3.4 device. Since they were downloaded in a way Android <i>approved </i>of, I was able to access the APK files via the Downloads app.<br />
<br />
When I clicked both APK's, I verified that I wanted to install the apps, and BANG! I'm running PowerAmp on my Gingerbread device.<br />
<br />
Rock and roll (literally).<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-44072704853361885342018-08-05T12:14:00.002-06:002018-08-05T12:16:48.978-06:00 Using an Old Apple Express to Extend Wifi Range (a/b/n)<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"></span><br />
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">It should be noted that the first time I went through the steps below, AirPort Utility told me it wouldn't work with a non-Apple base station. However, I repeated the steps, and somehow it magically worked <span class="update">[update: no it didn't]</span>. I can <span class="update">[not]</span> confirm that I am using an AirPort Express 802.11n (1st Gen) to extend the network from my Netgear Nighthawk R7000.</span><br />
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"><br />
</span> <span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">It should also be noted that the current firmware for my AirPort Express is 7.6.4 (older firmware) and the newest available version is 7.6.9. However, I am not updating the firmware just yet in case part of the update included Apple shenanigans to prevent the Express from extending non-Apple networks.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="update">Update: Even after updating the firmware, I can't get the AirPort Express to pass the IP. The broadcast works and functions as if it is extending the range, but the IP (the internet) does not pass through to the device connecting to the AirPort. So instead, I am just running a long ethernet cable from the main router to the AirPort Express, creating a "new" network with the AirPort, and extending my signal that way.</span><br />
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"><br />
</span> <span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">The steps to set up your AirPort Express as an extender (this information is largely based on a <a href="https://www.quora.com/Can-I-connect-my-Airport-Express-to-my-Linksys-router-wirelessly-to-help-me-extend-my-existing-Wi-Fi-network-to-another-part-of-the-house" target="_blank">Quora answer</a> given by </span><a href="https://www.quora.com/profile/E.O.-Stinson" target="_blank">E.O. Stinson</a><span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">):</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Make sure your wireless router is set to a static channel, and write down the router's MAC address.<br />
<br />
Configure your AirPort Express using Airport Utility:<br />
<ul></ul>
<ul>
<li>Under Airport -> Wireless, set the Wireless Mode to "Participate in a WDS Network", and set the network name, security, password, and channel to match your router's settings </li>
<li>Now you'll have a new tab: under WDS, set the WDS Mode to "WDS remote" and the "WDS Main" to the MAC address you wrote down for your router. Be sure to tick the box for "Allow wireless clients." </li>
<li>Under the Internet tab, set Connection Sharing to "Off (Bridge Mode)." </li>
<li>Click Update. Wait for the Airport Express to restart.</li>
</ul>
...<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul></ul>
The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-20753979514433162682018-06-12T13:36:00.002-06:002018-08-05T12:16:35.455-06:00Adobe Premiere CS6 Will Not Recognize MP4 Files<br />
Like so many before me, I was having issues with Premiere CS6 suddenly not being able to utilize the MP4 files it had been having no issue with previously (files already imported and utilized in a current project). I tried to relink media and reimport the files to no avail.<br />
<br />
MP4 is just a container. Because of this, some would suggest just changing MP4 (the file extension) to M4V or MOV. (extensions sometimes more readily recognized by Premiere). This can work, but it certainly is not a prefered or stable solution.<br />
<br />
At first I thought it was a Quicktime problem (Quicktime is often annoyingly and persistently attached to the MP4 extension), so I updated Quicktime, but this had no effect.<br />
<br />
Then I realized that all the problem files were shot with a Sony A7R3. Even though they were MP4 files and not Sony’s proprietary RAW file format, I thought maybe there was something inside the MP4 container that might be Sony-driver-specific, so I updated the Sony drivers as well. No change in Premiere.<br />
<br />
Finally my internet search turned up another solution entirely… a really lame one. Simply empty the Premiere CS6 media cache, and *poof* the problem is gone. Thanks <a href="https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1061308#" target="_blank">Adobe Forum</a> user <b><a href="https://forums.adobe.com/people/Miguel%20Chavez">Miguel Chavez</a></b>. Thanks also, Adobe, for this known and frustrating issue, and for not ever solving it, even before CS6 had been depricated (though the issue is well documented and affected so many users).<br />
...<br />
The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-33723881381465771042017-11-29T15:22:00.000-07:002017-11-29T15:22:21.775-07:00Bluetooth Problems with MacBook Pro Running Bootcamp (Windows)For as long as I've been using my MacBook Pro, my Bluetooth has been abysmal. I run Windows via Bootcamp, but my wife uses her MBP as a Mac and she has the same problems (maybe worse). She got a nice little Jawbone Jambox Bluetooth speaker for Christmas and never even used it, because she couldn't <i>ever </i>get it to connect to her MBP (and for me to get it to work, it took some serious effort, and even then the performance was sub par).<br />
<br />
I have several audio solutions set up around the house and studio, and Bluetooth is a fairly substantial part of the system(s), so today I decided to finally figure out what is going on, once and for all.<br />
<br />
For those who come across this post with the same problem looking for a quick-fix answer, try this:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Go to <b>Device Manager</b> > <b>Network adapters</b> > <b>Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter</b></li>
<li>Right click and select <b>Properties</b>.</li>
<li>Click the <b>Advanced </b>tab, go to <b>Bluetooth Collaboration</b>, and select "<b>Enable</b>" from the <b>Value</b> drop-down menu on the right.</li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2ye7n-sdSYAaWOS8ylryGgoIEz1-wbCfDUQ1iqMQRxECSDEi-ebvb44qRb7E7NRahzGiA4SsYcoeTWW9WE9ZHkXCJavfxldxlthRSxN0AchPRSpyf0xOTIyA0o7cZbQOysZovFpUBzwX/s1600/MPBNetworkAdapter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="752" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2ye7n-sdSYAaWOS8ylryGgoIEz1-wbCfDUQ1iqMQRxECSDEi-ebvb44qRb7E7NRahzGiA4SsYcoeTWW9WE9ZHkXCJavfxldxlthRSxN0AchPRSpyf0xOTIyA0o7cZbQOysZovFpUBzwX/s320/MPBNetworkAdapter.PNG" width="320" /> </a></div>
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After a lot of research, this seems to be the solution that works for most people. And while it did <i>help</i> my problem, there are still major problems with my Bluetooth connection.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What it boils down to? <i>ANYTHING </i>electronic (yes, I understand the computer is electronic, and that actually <i>IS </i>a factor!) will interfere with the Bluetooth Adapter's signal. It really is just a matter of the Bluetooth hardware in earlier MacBook Pros being utter and total shite.</div>
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After I completed the steps above to enable Bluetooth Collaboration, I still had issues. I tried rebooting. I tried altering other settings with both the network adapter and the Bluetooth devices (drivers on the MacBook as well as the devices themselves). Then I remembered reading previously that a lot of people had problems with actual <i>signal interference</i>. The MBP power block was sitting on the table (not near enough for me to think it'd be an issue, but still... on the table). I moved it, and like magic, the music streaming over Bluetooth stopped stuttering. But as soon as I started using my mouse (connected via wireless), the stutter started again. So I unplugged the mouse receiver, but that didn't seem to help... and then I actually <i>turned the mouse off </i>via its physical switch, and the signal was smooth again... until I tried looking something else up on the web (using the MBP track pad instead of my mouse), when the stuttering started again.</div>
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So I am now better than where I started. After enabling "Bluetooth Collaboration" for the network adapter, I can at least walk away from the laptop and stream a smooth music signal to my Bluetooth receiver and stereo. However, if I touch the computer or put anything electronic anywhere near the MacBook, the signal will be interrupted and stutter like crazy.</div>
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<br />The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-87911207930280890392017-06-18T10:20:00.001-06:002017-06-18T10:20:27.729-06:00Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 49983 E03 Error<p>I recently picked up a Hamilton Beach FlexBrew (49983) at the thrift store for $8. Not bad for a coffee maker that still costs $90 at Kohl’s, Target, Amazon, etc.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ld03URslkbQ/WUaoSU37FfI/AAAAAAAANrI/C4QlIZsAZYUlyfUXcvasE7R6PgYNXUZQgCHMYCw/s1600-h/HamiltonBeach49983%255B3%255D"><img title="HamiltonBeach49983" style="float: right; margin: 0px; display: inline" alt="HamiltonBeach49983" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hyi9BAbK6A0/WUaoSzL6xfI/AAAAAAAANrM/SM2Ut3LxpgUUPuBgDNMRIOIC3u2srrqOQCHMYCw/HamiltonBeach49983_thumb%255B1%255D?imgmax=800" width="240" align="right" height="240"></a>It worked when I plugged it in at the store, but after a thorough cleaning at home (without submerging!), when I plugged it back in, the display simply read E03. Sometimes when you get these errors with various electronics, you can plug the machine in while holding down a button or combination of buttons, and the machine will reset itself. I tried all kinds of combinations, and while I <em>could</em> get the error to change to E08, I couldn’t make it go away.</p> <p>I assumed the error was a result of water getting in somewhere it shouldn’t have while cleaning the coffee maker, so I waited several days for the unit to dry out. After three days, the E03 error persisted.</p> <p>There is no information regarding this error (or any error) on the Hamilton Beach website, and from what I can glean from reports from customers who have contacted Hamilton Beach directly, they won’t tell you what any of the error codes mean. It seems like Hamilton Beach should post a list of error codes so that people (or at least technicians) can diagnose what is wrong.</p> <p>Since I couldn’t find any information on the web, I tore the machine apart looking for loose wires or broken solder connections, but I found nothing.</p> <p>However, while working on the machine, some strange combination of actions “released” a bunch of water from the spout on the single cup side. The water had not come out when I simply turned the machine upside down, but when I turned the machine over and over while looking for screws to open it up, I must have turned it in a way that allowed the water to come out.</p> <p>So… it would seem the E03 error has something to do with water being trapped in a reservoir or tube somewhere, and that water can’t be drained simply by turning the machine upside down. Thus, the “fix” is to turn the machine over and over in all directions, until water comes pouring out of the single serve side spout.</p> <p>…</p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-21495500521098944062017-02-13T10:51:00.001-07:002017-02-13T10:51:56.551-07:00Set Default Font in Illustrator and Photoshop CS6<p>Under “Window” in the top menu bar, select “Type > Character Styles.”</p> <p>A pop-up window will appear.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i6-Oc0faCEY/WKHyOaOVrtI/AAAAAAAANig/El4R_qUG_F8/s1600-h/CS6-Type-Character-dialog-box%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="CS6-Type-Character-dialog-box" style="float: none; margin: 5px auto; display: block" alt="CS6-Type-Character-dialog-box" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v2AVM7mOqko/WKHyOivS8qI/AAAAAAAANik/H5wFrYDW6Rw/CS6-Type-Character-dialog-box_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="170"></a></p> <p>Double-click “[Normal Character Style]” and another dialog box will appear.</p> <p>Select “Basic Character Formats” from the list on the left, and you can define all of your default text properties.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0Ydh0SB42D8/WKHyOg_Jo3I/AAAAAAAANio/eOKK8H7mDZ0/s1600-h/IllustratorCS6-Type-Character-Basic-Character-Formats%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IllustratorCS6-Type-Character-Basic-Character-Formats" style="float: none; margin: 5px auto; display: block" alt="IllustratorCS6-Type-Character-Basic-Character-Formats" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WRNAO1cMm3w/WKHyO98SClI/AAAAAAAANis/IcbGUEBP6TQ/IllustratorCS6-Type-Character-Basic-Character-Formats_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="251"></a></p> <p>…</p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-69346576678045485342017-02-01T11:39:00.001-07:002017-02-01T11:39:15.232-07:00Five Months Later with The Droid Z Force<p>Man, I gotta say, other than size (which I will bitch about vehemently until they bring phones back down to the size of my original Droid Inc.), I am loving this Droid Z Force. <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TkfmJfWUqmk/WJIrUV7DnSI/AAAAAAAANgI/YNWyubRef_Y/s1600-h/droid%252520z%252520force%252520JBL%252520tilt%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="droid z force JBL tilt" style="float: right; display: inline" alt="droid z force JBL tilt" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xMt3_pKputI/WJIrUvJ1DUI/AAAAAAAANgM/itsIGWGWWUs/droid%252520z%252520force%252520JBL%252520tilt_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" align="right" height="240"></a>Except for the most extreme high-use periods, I easily get two days on a charge, and when it drops down too low for my liking, it only takes about an hour to get it back to 100%. The quick charge is amazing, even when using “slower” chargers like my Anker multi-port or my car charger (though these do have higher powered ports than average chargers). <p>Not only that, but the speaker mod, though a little bulky, contains a <i>huge </i>battery (and the added bonus of actually pretty decent sounding music on the go!). I often just leave it on the phone, even if I'm not planning on using the speaker. It still fits in my pocket nearly the same (obviously quite a bit thicker), and it actually makes the phone a little bit easier to hold onto (though it's not great in the car holder –too thick). The phone with the speaker attached is kind of like carrying around a comfortably-edged (rounded), small Bluetooth speaker... except with the added bonus of a powerful phone/computer/browser/media player attached! And the kickstand on the speaker, which I use more often than I ever thought I would, is just icing. <p>Not only that, but for around $80 (or $30-40 if you want to brave the eBay gray market) there is a Qi (wireless charging) 2220mAh additional battery mod by Tumi/Incipio (which are now one in the same since <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150422005312/en/TUMI-Announces-Global-Multi-Year-Licensing-Agreement-Incipio%C2%AE" target="_blank">Tumi licensed Incipio for a year</a>). You can go for days without charging! <p>The <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/18/13304090/google-pixel-phone-review-pixel-xl" target="_blank">Google Pixel</a> seems to be ruling the current mobile roost, but the <a href="https://www.motorola.com/us/products/moto-z-force-droid-edition" target="_blank">Droid Z Force</a> is spec'd pretty much the same, and all the apps that will "only" run on the Pixel actually run on the Z Force as well (including all the VR stuff that I have no use for). And though a lot of people think the Pixel camera is tops, I <em>really</em> think the Droid Z Force phone is great (and, for what’s worth, I make my living taking pictures). <p>I feel like I bought at the right time. Any time you purchase a phone and they start<i> the hard push</i> with advertising four months later (like with my GS5), and then the specs are still as good as all the brand new phones coming out (like with my GS5)... I feel satisfied. <p>All this for a phone I got for absolutely <em>free</em> (w/ two year contract) because at the time everyone was going gaga for the Samsung S7. Doggonit, I feel like a winner. <p><strong>Cons:</strong> <ul> <li>not water proof (at the time I bought my GS5 I thought “water resistant” was a gimmick, but I actulally miss this about my GS5 –which I used to <a href="https://vimeo.com/97492891" target="_blank">shoot 4K video UNDERWATER</a> for <em>eight hours</em>!!!)</li> <li>no cases, especially with varying sized Moto Mods, so no protection for the phone or additional mods; I installed a matte screen protector (which I prefer to a glossy screen anyway) and the screen is advertised as unbreakable, so there’s that, but the phone and mods are definitely showing some physical wear</li> <li>size, always the size (bring back the original Droid Incredible!)</li> <li>though not a con with the phone, I was <a href="http://danbeahm.blogspot.com/2016/09/hasselblad-moto-mod-is-thorough.html" target="_blank">extremely disappointed</a> with the “Hasselblad” (apparently in name <em>only</em>) Moto Mod; it’s junk, especially compared to the Droid Z Force’s <em>stellar</em> native camera</li></ul>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-10306858930169749552016-09-19T11:48:00.000-06:002016-09-19T12:20:02.237-06:00Hasselblad Moto Mod is a Thorough Disappointment<p>I am a photographer. Thus, I was pretty stoked to know when I purchased my Droid Z Force that there was a Hasselblad Camera Mod coming down the pike.</p> <p>I waited patiently for nearly a month, and finally it arrived… and what a major disappointment it was.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wxCPMdZK3Wc/V-AsUKdV8WI/AAAAAAAAMwo/20YwjlCvZps/s1600-h/hasselblad-moto-mod%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="hasselblad-moto-mod" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto; display: block" alt="hasselblad-moto-mod" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lTI66L2yK2I/V-AsUeitLrI/AAAAAAAAMws/UFyGHiW2BCc/hasselblad-moto-mod_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="342"></a></p> <p>Here’s the short of it: the Motorola Droid Z Force has a pretty decent camera with a 21MP sensor (some would argue the best <em>camera phone</em> currently available). The Hasselblad has a 12MP sensor. Pretty much the ONLY thing going for the Hasselblad Moto Mod is the “optical zoom,” but you can “zoom in” on a 21MP photo and have nearly the same amount of zoom as the 10x optical on the Hasselblad’s 12MP photo!</p> <p>The Hasselblad has a 4.5mm to 45mm zoom (that’s why they call it a 10x zoom) which is basically a 25mm to 250mm 35mm equivalent. The Droid Z Force has a 4.51mm lens, which is equivalent to 26mm on a 35mm camera. So a 21MP photo can give you nearly the same “zoom” digitally at the Hasselblad’s max resolution of 12MP. In other words, if you simply crop the Droid’s photo to half (crop a 21MP photo to the Hasselblad max pixel dimension of 12MP), you’re still at 10.5MP and your 35mm equivalent is 52mm (the Hasselblad optical zoom maxes out at 45mm).</p> <p>Any positive review I’ve seen for the Hasselblad mod (they are never <em>raving</em>, only lukewarm) goes on and on about the zoom, but frankly… who cares when the zoom really doesn’t do much for you and <em>everything</em> else comes up short?</p> <p>Hasselblad Moto Mod shortcomings:</p> <ul> <li>Only 12MP sensor (phone has a 21MP sensor) and also physically smaller (1/2.3 inches vs. 1/2.4 inches) <li>minimum aperture of f/3.5 –are you kidding me?! Not only that, but it’s not fixed, and the variable goes all the way up to f/6.5!!! By the way, the <em>phone’s</em> minimum aperture is f/1.8 <li>Max ISO is 3200 (same as the phone) <li>lesser focus technology than phone (the Z Force utilizes laser <em>and</em> contrast auto focus with phase detection; the Hasselblad only utilizes contrast/phase detection) <li>bad 24fps video (choppy) <li>no video HDR (which the phone <em>does</em> have) <li>no optical stabilization for video <li>No 4k (which I don’t care too much about, but if this is an “upgrade” it should at least be able to shoot the equivalent of the phone to which it’s attached!)</li></ul> <p>And from what I’ve read in every hands on review I’ve seen, the focus is no faster than the phone (often the user says it’s slower), the shutter lag is much higher than the phone’s, and the quality of the photos isn’t really a bump since the phone already has a decent sensor and utilizes Moto’s “Deep Trench Isolation” technology to isolate pixel color.</p> <p>Sure, the Hasselblad Mod can shoot RAW, but who cares, considering all the other shortcomings?</p> <p>Please explain to me why I should spend $250-$300 on a “mod” that I have to carry around if it doesn’t IMPROVE the camera on my phone (or even come <em>close</em> to what’s already there!). Just because it says Hasselblad? If I’m shooting more than what the very capable Moto Z Force camera is capable of, I think I’ll just carry a REAL camera that actually gives me a reason to mess around with a second device.</p> <p>Boo, Hasselblad. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for letting Motorola slap your name on a piece of garbage that doesn’t even work as well as the phone to which it attaches.</p> <p>…</p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-32804856101798635692016-08-29T10:05:00.003-06:002022-01-20T12:35:13.935-07:00Fixing a Samsung Ice Maker<p>One of the most popular posts on this blog is the “<a href="https://danbeahm.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-defrost-samsung-ice-maker.html" target="_blank">How to Defrost a Samsung Ice Maker</a>” post. In that post I outline how to defrost your Samsung Ice Maker using a “secret code” on your control panel. You shouldn’t need to do that every week, but a lot of people do, because the Samsung SZAB001TA1 ice maker (which exists in refrigerators like the RF263BEAEW) had serious issues when it left the factory.</p> <p>Fortunately, the issues can be remedied. Unfortunately, Samsung is keeping the information under wraps, and it is extremely difficult to find any information on the subject. Hopefully this post will help those of you looking for answers.</p> <p>So first, here again are the steps for defrosting your Samsung Ice Maker using the control panel on the front of your fridge:</p> <ol> <li>On the front panel display, press the <b>Energy Saver</b> and <b>Refrigerator</b> buttons at the same time for 8 seconds. The display will switch to the Test Mode and the display will go dark (all buttons, etc., will go dark) . </li><li>Press any button within 15 seconds after the display has gone dark to scroll through the Test Modes as follows: <ul> <li>Manual operation 1 (FF) </li><li>Manual operation 2 (0F-r) </li><li>Manual defrost of fresh food compartments (rd) </li><li>Manual defrost of fresh food and freezer compartments (fd) </li><li>Cancel (display goes completely dark)</li></ul></li></ol> <p>“fd” is the one you want. The defrost mode will cause the refrigerator to beep the entire time it’s in effect (pretty annoying) and will shut off after five minutes (I had to do it quite a few times to thaw everything out). </p><p>When the Geek Squad Tech came to fix our ice maker, he also used a hair dryer to speed things up, but be careful if you go this route as you can actually melt the plastic housing and components and cause greater issues than you had before by deforming the plastic in your ice maker. </p><p>There are four things that need to be changed to make this ice maker work properly. </p><ol> <li>The water fill tube needs to be adjusted. </li><li>The thin gap between the refrigerator wall and the ice maker housing (bottom side of ice maker against fridge wall) needs to be sealed. </li><li>The ribs surrounding the ice room fan air duct need to be removed with a utility knife (they cause water to puddle in the duct). </li><li>Foam should be installed on to of the ice maker housing around the water fill inlet. </li><li>If you have an older control board, the control board should be upgraded.</li></ol> <p>These issues are covered in a service bulletin that went out to Samsung Service Techs. I got to take a look at the four page PDF, but our tech was nervous about getting in trouble if I actually posted the document on the web, so he only let me look at the doc. on his phone. </p><p>Since then, the document has found it’s way to the web. An anonymous user actually posted the Service Bulletin <i>document number</i> in the comments of my original post on this issue. So now I have a copy of the PDF here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Jp53ateo0KbGxKaW5Pd2ljeDg/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-6pU-gVFJYc4AJB563lCZkA" target="">ASC20150717001</a><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Jp53ateo0KbGxKaW5Pd2ljeDg/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-6pU-gVFJYc4AJB563lCZkA"> </a>(if you don’t trust the link, just search the doc. title on Google). </p><p>Looking at the service bulletin is the easiest way to address everything, but I’ll lay things out here as well (though in less detail). </p><p>So, issue #1, the fill tube. In the back of your Samsung fridge you can see the fill tube sticking out the back of the refrigerator. This tube has a tendencey to slip, and after that happens water starts pouring all <i>over</i> the ice maker instead of just <i>into</i> the ice tray. Thus, the first step in fixing your ice maker is making sure this tube goes where it’s supposed to, and then making sure it stays put. Oddly enough, the tube often slips to far <i>in</i> (not out) and causes water to splash all over the place, so usually you have to actually back the tube out a bit and then secure it. </p><p>Issue #2. This is an easy fix. Simply take a tube of silicone and seal the gap. It seems hard to believe this would be an issue, but I guess it’s why Samsung didn’t catch the problem earlier, and it really makes a difference. </p><p>Issue #3. (see service bulletin) </p><p>Issue #4. With the entire ice maker out of the refrigerator, cut a thin strip of foam and glue it (silicone works well) around the perimeter of the water inlet area. See photo below. </p><p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IHNJb2KXgyQ/V8Rm9nH_3GI/AAAAAAAAMu0/sEcZSftGREQ/s1600-h/20160409_121521%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="20160409_121521" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1WS7q3NUgrY/V8Rm96E-BzI/AAAAAAAAMu4/SezPq4ezLLI/20160409_121521_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="20160409_121521" width="135" /></a> </p><p>Issue #4. When I got fed up with Samsung “tech” (really just a bunch of people who have NO IDEA what they’re talking about reading scripts on the phone) and went to Best Buy and they put me on the phone with a Geek Squad guy in Minnesota who REALLY knew what he was doing, he listened to what I had to say, realized I had done some research and figure out what was going on, and thus just ordered every possible part that might need to be replaced to fix the issue and had them all sent directly to my house so the parts would already be there when the tech arrived. Freaking fantastic. One of the things that got sent was a new controller board. The board has a lot more ports and resistors and what not. I took a photo of the new board, but I’m having a hard time locating it. Here is a photo of the OLD board.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZseZT_uSgYE/V8Rm-ccm6sI/AAAAAAAAMu8/Tc-GKGPgbYM/s1600-h/IMG_20160829_091844%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_20160829_091844" height="225" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jiiAk8HWf8I/V8Rm-kNjooI/AAAAAAAAMvA/N-BhzB_MEEk/IMG_20160829_091844_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_20160829_091844" width="240" /></a></p> <p>For what it’s worth, Samsung “customer support” is <i>not</i> support at all. I spent hours and hours going through the same process over and over again (the person on the other end insisting on reading their script and asking me irrelevant, inane questions ad nauseum). Each time, they would tell me someone would call me back soon, and each time, after a couple of days I would call back and there would be no evidence that I had ever called and the number I had been given was linked to no information whatsoever. It was pretty infuriating. I had to laugh when weeks after the matter was resolved (via Geek Squad, <i>NOT</i> Samsung) I received a letter from Samsung asking if I would like to purchase extended warranty services from them. Unbelievable.</p> <p>Some additional photos of the ice maker problems and fixes…</p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-66XiIyEVOXE/V8Rm-7R5-OI/AAAAAAAAMvE/OL1OZ0YLSCU/s1600-h/20160409_111851%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="20160409_111851" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FBi1WyxTDug/V8Rm_E9huNI/AAAAAAAAMvI/e9udKYpUNAw/20160409_111851_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: inline;" title="20160409_111851" width="135" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R7xebRQLQ-E/V8RnAcg25dI/AAAAAAAAMvM/MPzsupUMahY/s1600-h/20160409_111906%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="20160409_111906" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bS7qNQ2b9jY/V8RnAmqD1iI/AAAAAAAAMvQ/MfVGPmW3x9I/20160409_111906_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: inline;" title="20160409_111906" width="135" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1zLMKTcaGkY/V8RnA29ftuI/AAAAAAAAMvU/9etdToGcdng/s1600-h/20160409_111921%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="20160409_111921" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rqWUWb7qLdI/V8RnBMLJk_I/AAAAAAAAMvY/LoYx5Ryw248/20160409_111921_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: inline;" title="20160409_111921" width="135" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qby7hhskttk/V8RnBRd4shI/AAAAAAAAMvc/WUpZJUK7FeQ/s1600-h/20160409_121134%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="20160409_121134" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vLIQhTGZPVQ/V8RnBifGNVI/AAAAAAAAMvg/Ox_TzxVWxmQ/20160409_121134_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: inline;" title="20160409_121134" width="135" /></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com157tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-9052678353981967082016-08-09T13:10:00.000-06:002016-08-09T13:51:44.743-06:00My First Couple of Days with the Motorola Z Force Droid<p>I REALLY wanted to buy a small phone for my next phone, but the Fates conspired against me. The only option I had was the iPhone SE, and while I LOVE the size and design of the phone (I <em>really</em> love the hard edge and metal buttons and switch), I know I can’t live in an iOS world. I would go mad.</p> <p>The only other option on the market is the Sony Z5 compact, which I <em><strong>REALLY</strong></em> wish I could use, but it’s a GSM only phone, and I live in Denver and regularly travel into the mountains, so Verizon (CDMA) is really the only carrier I can use if I expect to have signal when I want it.</p> <p>Thus, for my next phone I went with one of the LARGEST phones on the market. [frown]</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jxHHqOArXK4/V6o0Trx2OHI/AAAAAAAAMsM/gNLhDDDqOfk/s1600-h/motozForcestyleshell%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="motozForcestyleshell" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="motozForcestyleshell" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oohZ92D1_CE/V6o0UGClFTI/AAAAAAAAMsQ/W-mtAosK9BY/motozForcestyleshell_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="168"></a></p> <p>I ended up purchasing the Droid Z Force, mostly because it was $108 (with two year contract and including tax) out the door at Best Buy (and they threw in the JBL speaker mod to boot). With Verizon, there is a $40 activation fee that appears on your bill when you purchase a new phone… even at the Verizon store! Evidently the only way to get that fee waived is to purchase and activate online with Verizon, which would have been a lot more expensive (full MSRP and no bonus mods).</p> <p>Man... when any store tries to convince you that the monthly payment plan is the way to go, CHECK... THEIR... MATH! Even with the "monthly line discount" they try and bait you with, if you do the monthly payment, you are paying full price for the device over 24 months. That means you also pay the tax on the MSRP up front! That alone was going to be $62, then the activation fee, then the full cost of the phone over time (meaning a higher bill every month). Crazy business.</p> <p>The Samsung Galaxy S7 was going to be $220 (with 2 year contract) plus activation, so I just went with what was saving me money, not to mention avoiding the awful one-two punch of the way Samsung and Verizon turn a great phone into a piece of crap with their bloatware (and I have been quite pleased with the "clean" environment of the Moto-verse). <p>As I mentioned, BestBuy was also giving away the JBL speaker mod with the Droid Z Force, and while it's not going to be loud enough for DJ-ing parties and weddings, it's actually a pretty decent little speaker and will be great for working on location and listening to tunes. It has it's own battery as well, so that's great (I have read that the speaker battery can actually power the phone, so it's like a battery mod as well, but I haven't confirmed that yet –I <em>have</em> confirmed that you can charge the mod through the phone though). <p>While I definitely hate how big the Droid Z Force is (bigger than my S5 and probably the same size of the Note 5), I have to admit I'm loving the functionality and speed. The Motorola fingerprint reader is stellar, and I love how you can use it to lock <i>and </i>unlock the phone one handed. You can also choose to link it to other passwords and apps, which is nice (though I won't be linking it to my banking and purchasing apps). They warn you that it's not as secure as a pin or pattern, but I assume that's because you can "lift" a print from the reader, so I'm trying to get into the habit of swiping my finger down after it registers, effectively wiping the reader clean of my physical print. <p>When I powered up the phone to activate it in the store, the battery was at 99%. We were on our way into the mountains for a wedding, and the device ONLY comes with the turbo charger (no stand-alone USB-C cord to use with a car charger --you have to order that on your own, which is pretty of annoying since you don't have a good way to transfer files to/from a computer until you do that), so I had no way to charge the new phone except for plugging into a wall. Even with doing all the initial syncing, playing with the phone and figuring out features, downloading all my apps, etc. (all over 3G and 4G/LTE because I had no wifi), the phone was still at 33% the next day's afternoon! Way more than 24 hours on the factory charge with a substantially higher amount of use is pretty impressive. <p>Not only that, but I went from 25% to 100% in less than a half hour charge using the included turbo charger. <p>I have been using Qi wireless charging with my S5, and I actually love it, so I'm pretty disappointed that the Droid Z Force doesn't have wireless charging, especially since pretty much EVERY other "flagship" has it these days. I guess the turbo charge will have to make up for it. There is an external battery pack mod that will do wireless charging, but I’m not going to buy an extra mod just for wireless charging. <p>I do wish the phone was water resistant like my S5 and the S7, and I'm not sure why it isn't. The Z Force only has three physical buttons, the card slot, and a USB-C port. It seems like it would have been relatively easy to seal up. They advertise that it has a water resistant outer covering, but isn’t all plastic and glass water resistant? I’m not sure what that even means. <p>The camera is great so far. There's a "pro" mode that allows me to set ISO (though not aperture and shutter speed), so I'm loving that. Maybe there's an app that will allow me to access those extra manual features. Also... the camera is 21MP, so I can actually do some zooming and still have "flagship size" (8-12MP) and quality on the zoomed image. <p>Hasselblad is coming out with a camera mod for the phone (there was actually a physical spot for it on the Z Force displace at Best Buy, so it must be coming soon). I'm interested to see what the price will be and how much higher the quality is (it will supposedly do RAW and will have a 10x optical zoom). It seems weird to have to get a "better" camera mod for a phone that already has a 21MP camera, but we'll see. Also, I'm not sure what the advantage would be to having a "mod" instead of a stand alone camera that will likely be the same size, but again, I guess I'll see. <p>I've read that though the screen is "shatterproof," that feature comes at the cost of being pretty scratch prone (the surface layer that keeps it together is soft), so I ordered a couple screen protectors. I prefer a matte finish on my screen anyway (no glare and a more pleasing tactile feel). <p>I'm also trying to figure out which case to get. I can't imagine not using a case on a phone to protect from scratches and dents, but the PITA about the "mods" on these phones is they won't attach if the phone is sporting a case. Thus, I need to find a case that is easy to take on and off, and that can weather the abuse of constantly taking it on and off, so I'm able to attach mods when I want. To me, this is the biggest draw back of the phone (other than it’s size). <p>There is also a "style shell" that is just a faux wood back. I guess it looks pretty cool, but it really just adds thickness (almost doubles the thickness of the phone), so I'm not sure what the point is, other than looks (which don't matter if you're using a case). If the "mod" doesn't really offer any protection, it's seems kind of stupid compared to a case that would protect the back, edges, and front (with a raised lip). <p>Again, I HATE the size of this thing. It would be <em>awesome</em> if it were the size of my original Droid Incredible. But everything else about the phone seems pretty great so far. And I really can't get over how much I'm loving the finger print reader to turn the phone on and off "securely." Not having to enter a pattern all the time is really nice. It's actually got me locking the phone every time I turn the screen off, vs. setting a longer time out to lock the phone for reasons of convenience (and making the phone less secure). <p>… The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-44267038315558844692016-06-01T18:17:00.001-06:002016-06-01T18:17:54.741-06:00Exact Audio Copy (EAC) Won’t Convert to Flac<p><a href="http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/"><img title="EAC" style="float: right; display: inline" alt="EAC" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i_p3m85wjBg/V097MegJ43I/AAAAAAAAMmg/IUCwFv9R1Rc/EAC%25255B12%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="200" align="right" height="200"></a>If you are having trouble getting EAC to convert to Flac on rip, it may be that you are trying to rip to a NAS (network) directory. It seems EAC doesn’t like using a NAS directory when converting files. I assume it has something to do with no “solid” drive path to the file that needs to be converted after it has been ripped to Wav.</p> <p>Everytime I hit “shift-F5” or clicked the CMP (copy selected tracks compressed) button, EAC would only rip the tracks as Waves (not convert them to Flac once they’d been ripped).</p> <p>I having a feeling a command line change could solve the issue (some sort of change to the %source% and/or %dest% settings), but my quick fix for now is to map the music directory on my NAS to a Mapped Network Drive. Once I did that and pointed EAC to the mapped drive instead of using the network path, everything worked fine.</p> <p>…</p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-55218685185090614342016-04-25T14:30:00.001-06:002016-04-25T15:38:43.210-06:00The Easiest Way to Convert MKV to MP4 (MOV)<p>I recently wanted to do a little content editing of an MKV file. I really didn’t want to spend time <em>converting</em> the file (and losing video and audio resolution), but every “trick” I could find online involved downloading software for demuxing, converting, etc. (things that take time, and mostly things that alter the original video –not to mention things that often come from shady sources).</p> <p>So I thought about it for a bit, poked around in some of the (free) software I had readily available, and found a solution.</p> <p>An MKV file is just a container. Thus, I figured I could just change the extension (.mkv) to something else more “useable” (like .mp4) and mess with it that way. Just changing the extension made Adobe Premiere unhappy (header issues), but as usual, VLC handled it just fine. Not only that, but VLC ultimately turned out to be the solution for what I needed to do.</p> <p>In VLC, you can <strong><em>save</em></strong> a file (right click the file in your playlist and select “save” from the list), and under the “settings” options you have “convert” and “dump raw input.” First I tried utilizing the RAW option, but when it went to “streaming” after clicking “start,” there didn’t seem to be any progress, so I tried the next option.</p> <p>Using the “convert” option, you can select pretty much any preset to do what we want to do, but I wanted an MP4 so I chose the first thing on the list: Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4). Of course I don’t want MP3 for my audio (I want to keep the original file format), but don’t worry! The next step is to click the tools/settings button next to the profile drop down. There you will see tabs for “video codec” and “audio codec.” In each of those settings, you can choose “keep original video track” and “keep original audio track.” Once you do that, you simply click “start” and you’ll see your progress bar tick away. It took me about four minutes to ouput a 2 hour movie that was originally 17.8 GB as an MKV. However, the new file was now 11.4 GB, so obviously something had changed (and I assume resolution was lost, thought the file still <em>looked</em> pretty similar to the original).</p> <p>I actually created a profile called MKV to MP4 wherein I selected the “original video” and “original audio” options with an MP4/MOV container, and the subsequent “conversion” took only around 20 seconds. I had opened and closed VLC several times, but I suppose the conversion could have still been using cached files.</p> <p>UPDATE: If the original audio format (like the audio in the file i was using) isn’t an audio format that VLC has in its output codec selection, trying to utilize the “original audio” option will create a file with no audio. I’m not sure why it does this, but to correct for the problem, I changed my profile to convert the audio, and set up the audio as a high bitrate AAC with a sample rate the same as the original (48KHz). The resulting file was a bit larger than the previous and took longer to output (because it’s actually converting the audio), but now has audio and can be imported into Adobe Premiere.</p> <p>It turns out that the RAW dump is actually the better option if you’re trying to keep the file exactly like the original (just changing the extension), it just wasn’t showing me a live process when it was outputing a file. I tried the RAW option again, and sure enough, after about four minutes (the same amount of time the above “convert” option took), I found I had an MP4 exactly the same size as the original MKV. Unfortunately the file still wouldn’t work with Premiere, althought now i just get a “generic error” when trying to import the MP4 into Premiere.</p> <p>…</p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-61685148099818595282016-03-31T13:32:00.001-06:002018-01-25T10:05:27.636-07:00Pinterest has Ruined the Internet<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uyUcjYe9BJk/Vv17WU6VlzI/AAAAAAAAMjs/sKm9rZBdONs/s1600-h/pinterest_ban_2_450x450%25255B3%25255D.png"><img width="240" height="240" title="pinterest_ban_2_450x450" align="right" style="float: right; display: inline;" alt="pinterest_ban_2_450x450" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ozjEIZm4XTU/Vv17W_U6_NI/AAAAAAAAMjw/iFeXV6VkR70/pinterest_ban_2_450x450_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800"></a>I am SO sick of Pinterest ruining every internet search I conduct.</p> <p>I often find that a search for a given term will return hundreds of “re-pins” from morons posting the same photo (or topic) over and over again.</p> <p>I am almost to the point of creating a plug-in that automatically removes Pinterest from <em><strong>ALL</strong></em> internet searches, but for now I end up just typing “-site:pinterest.com” at the end of just about every search I make on Google.</p><p>However, even this will allow Pinterest in OTHER COUNTRIES to ruin your search, so the better search modifier would actually be: -site:pinterest.* (note the wildcard asterisk). Thanks for suggesting, Lea!</p> <p>Hope this helps someone else out there with their frustration of Pinterest littering their search returns with useless garbage.</p> <p>-site:pinterest.*</p><p>-site:pinterest.com</p> <p>…</p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-17705439942940881072016-02-29T09:48:00.000-07:002016-02-29T12:19:05.822-07:00Why the Best Phone for 2016 is My Phone from 2010<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ba9aUhxXUZU/VtSZp4a5I5I/AAAAAAAAMh0/-vu257qfVl4/s1600-h/HTC-ADR-6300%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="HTC-ADR-6300" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto; display: block" alt="HTC-ADR-6300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rVYhVQi99nQ/VtSZqW7vZhI/AAAAAAAAMh4/28v8YX463Hw/HTC-ADR-6300_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="240"></a></p> <p>The HTC Droid Incredible ADR 6300 (1st gen) has my vote for best phone of all time.</p> <p>Yes, in today’s world there is an issue with certain things gobbling up the internal memory and a woefully problematic issue with the phone not being able to use the entire capacity of the internal memory for phone features (and only being able to use a TINY portion of said internal memory), but in 6 years I’ve learned to work around that. For the trade-offs, it’s absolutely worth it.</p> <p>And yes, the Incredible doesn’t have 4G LTE capability and maxes out at 3G, but I don’t care. I just want something that fits in my pocket so I can make phone calls, take pictures, listen to music, and occasionally comparison shop by checking a price online while I’m at a store. Sure it’s only running Android 2.3.4, but who cares?! I don’t need Marshmallow to do <em>any</em> of the things mentioned above.</p> <p>My tablet (LG GPad 8.3 VK810) and other devices (two rooted Galaxy S5’s) tethered to the tablet via Bluetooth take care of my higher speed data needs on the rare occasion I need a faster connection via mobile device, and when I’m traveling or on location for photo/video work, I’ve got those with me for the larger screen, faster data connection, updated Android OS, and more processing power.</p> <p>But the biggest factor in my decision? <em>SIZE</em>.</p> <h4>Size. Size. Size.</h4> <p>All currently available phones <em>SUCK</em> as far as size goes. They’re just WAY too big! They hurt my hand and just <em>barely</em> fit in my pocket. At 4.5” x 2.25” the Droid Incredible is <em>perfect</em>. If I need a larger screen for video, I’ve got my tablet.</p> <h4>Replaceable Battery</h4> <p>Before there were all these power banks so readily available now, you needed to actually swap out batteries, and the Incredible was king. I have three high capacity batteries. I can fly from Denver to Tokyo, watching videos the whole way, without worrying about running out of juice. I’m more likely to use a power bank now, but it’s comforting to know I’ve got extra batteries that are VERY easy to swap out if I need them. Not to mention my bedside charging dock also has a slot to charge an extra battery.</p> <h4>Expandable Storage</h4> <p>It’s true that the Incredible has issues in regard to internal memory, BUT it also supports micro SD cards. My current Incredible has a 128 GB micro SD card. And I’ve got extras for traveling with even <em>more</em> movies and music and photo/video storage. I’ve got THOUSANDS of movies and lossless music files available (without streaming) at any given moment.</p> <h4>The Dedicated (and physical) Optical Cursor Pad</h4> <p>Why did mobile makers end this fantastic feature?! My Droid has an optical cursor pad that allows you to <em>move your cursor around the screen</em> instead of trying to pin point your cursor location with your big, fat finger on a mobile screen while you YEARN to <em><strong>at least</strong></em> have cursor arrows always available (aggravating on even the largest of current devices). Not only that, but it functions as a PHYSICAL button for camera, etc., and since it’s optical, it could have also functioned as a fingerprint reader if they’d have taken the next logical step.</p> <h4>Landscape Docking</h4> <p>The Incredible’s USB port is on the <em>side</em>. That means the charging dock orients your phone in landscape. It’s perfect for watching video while connected to power and using as a bedside clock. Why did phones stop doing this?!</p> <h4>Beautiful and Responsive AMOLED Screen</h4> <p>Why are companies putting 4K screens in mobile devices?! There is a massively diminishing return on pixel density and resolution for mobile devices, especially since the screen is the number one thing that gobbles up battery power. The size and resolution of the Droid Incredible is a serious sweet spot that shouldn’t be ignored.</p> <p>Not to mention, I’ve replaced the screen 4 times (I’m hard on phones). It costs $10 to do so (cheaper than a screen protector on a lot of phones). It’s an easy swap, and the screen has always been cheap and readily available via Amazon.</p> <h4>Camera</h4> <p>True, the phone only has an 8MP camera, but the results are actually quite good (though this phone was before phones had HDR, so I do really miss <em>that</em>), and I love that the phone is so tiny that people are less likely to notice you shooting like when you’re using one of today’s GIANT phones. Plus, the Droid Inc. was the first phone to have a decent LED flash (though it still sucked, as do most LED flashes available on new phones), and one that could actually be TURNED ON to use as a flashlight! There is also no front-facing camera for video calls, but that’s something I actually <em>prefer.</em> If I want to make a video call, I’ll use my tablet.</p> <p> </p> <p>So the Droid Incredible doesn’t have a SIM card or LTE, only has an 8MP camera, has some internal memory issues (that can be worked around), and is maxed out at Android 2.3.4. But all these things considered, to me it’s still a better phone than anything offered today. For a phone from <strong>half a decade ago</strong>, that’s pretty… <em>Incredible</em> and STILL the Droid that I am looking for (to my credit, I didn’t do either of those things until now).</p> <p> </p> <p>The current contenders that just don’t cut it:</p> <h3>Sony Experia Z5c</h3> <p>The ONLY currently viable available-to-purchase-new phone where the size is right. The camera is awesome. It’s got (had) the best processor available (Snapdragon 810 octacore) until the Snapdragon 820 comes out with the new Flagships this week (S7, G5, etc.). This is the phone I would have if I could, but I’m not willing to pony up $450 for a phone that <em>might</em> work using only LTE on Verizon’s CDMA network (it’s a GSM phone). Again, this would be <em>THE</em> phone for me, but no US <em>carrier</em> sells it, so you have to buy it unlocked and outright, and the US warranty version has slower data speed than the euro version and no fingerprint reader. I can buy the euro version via Amazon, but it’s a gamble. Why does Sony always take it right to the line and then drop it?!</p> <h3>LG G5</h3> <p>The “modular” thing seems to me like a gimmick and defeats the purpose of having everything you need <em>in/on</em> your phone at all times by requiring you to insert modules. Why not just carry around separate devices for all the things those modules cover? How is it different? <strong>Plus, the phone is gigantic.</strong></p> <h3>LG VK10</h3> <p>The camera is amazing. The audio processor is amazing. It’s beautiful. <strong>But the phone is FREAKING gigantic.</strong></p> <h3>Samsung S5, S6, S7</h3> <p>The S5 has been my main phone for a couple years. The camera is pretty good (I actually shot a 4K video shoot with it… UNDER WATER FOR 8 HOURS!). The hardware is actually pretty amazing. However, the way Samsung and Verizon have absolutely <em>crippled</em> the phone is shameful. Not a day goes by that I don’t scream “I HATE THIS PHONE!” But it’s not the phone’s fault, it’s the software. I’ve got a second G5 that I rooted, and it’s fantastic. But again…<strong> the phone is huge.</strong></p> <h3>HTC One (M8, M9, M10)</h3> <p>Meh. The camera in the M8 was supposed to be a game changer, but it’s really not all that (in fact, it’s quite bad). I do love the stereo front facing speakers and how the phone <em>looks</em>. And now in 2016 CFO Chialin Chang is promising, “We can confidently say that HTC will have a very, very compelling camera experience,” but I <em>certainly</em> don’t trust that statement, because it’s what they said about the sh*tty camera they put in the M8! Also, i<strong>t’s just too big!</strong></p> <h3>OnePlusX</h3> <p>Not for Verizon. Even on AT&T there were lot’s of problems with the bandwidth not being correct for the US market with earlier phones (1 and 2). I’m just not willing to take the gamble. <strong>Plus, its too damn big!</strong></p> <h3>Nexus 6</h3> <p>Seems to be a pretty good phone, though I don’t like the “bump out” for the camera lens on the back. <strong>But it’s gigantic.</strong></p> <h3>iPhone</h3> <p>I hate Mac and it has no place in my work flow. The end. Well, maybe not the end. To be fair, Mac has the prettiest hardware. I actually like the form factor of the iPhone 5s. And the iPhone 4 is probably my favorite mobile phone <em>form factor</em> of all time (I love the metal edge with the metal buttons and flip switch). But with my work flow and being a control freak, I just can’t live in the Mac world. I also hate how they obsolete (yes, I’m using “obsolete” as a verb) their own hardware every 10 seconds. Seriously? You can’t realistically run the current iOS (9) on their last gen phone?! Ridiculous. And the iPhone 6 (and <em>especially</em> 6 plus) is… <strong>too big!</strong></p> <p>…</p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-10438961697463425982016-02-17T10:31:00.000-07:002016-06-01T18:31:49.722-06:00Roku has a “Contra Code” Secret Screen for Wifi Antenna Settings<p class="update">UPDATE (5-31-16): Gardner Lonsberry has created an info. graphic containing TONS more secret screens for Roku. Scroll to the bottom to get the skinny.</p> <p>Remember the Konami code that got you 30 lives in Contra (and other stuff in other games)? Well there’s a similar trick for your Hulu Stick to get you to a “secret screen” with settings for the Wifi Antennas and a couple of other things. It might not be as exciting, but it could be more useful (depending upon your priorities).</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zK6WyzP8X0g/VsSubXZMgFI/AAAAAAAAMf0/GWMqsEisg7w/s1600-h/konami-code%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="konami-code" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tf9E0oBUCNg/VsSub4lbtxI/AAAAAAAAMf4/sudaniktRUg/konami-code_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="60"></a></p> <p>From the Home screen press…</p> <ul> <li>Home x5 (press home button five times) <li>FF (not the pad arrow) <li>Down (on the arrow pad) <li>RW (not the pad arrow) <li>Down (on the arrow pad) <li>FF (not the pad arrow)</li></ul> <p>I was having a lot of frustration with the Roku in our kitchen dropping signal. This is particularly aggravating, because when it happens the show you are watching disappears, then you have to wait a while for the Roku to reboot and get through the incredibly annoying “dancing Roku” screen, then you have to navigate back to the content you were watching. This is not fun when you’re just trying to watch something while quickly making a sandwich and getting back to work.</p> <p>So after messing with the location of my router and trying to optimize it’s settings and power output, I went looking for tips on how to optimize signal reception for the Roku. The Roku site basically blames your router and tells you to make sure it’s not by a window, in a sealed lead box (along with your kryptonite stash), or in your basement, but they don’t give you anything <em>REALLY</em> useful like the information here.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uFPEIB2sjpk/VsSucJwOBiI/AAAAAAAAMf8/CnHtWKS87ZA/s1600-h/platform-secret-screen%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="platform-secret-screen" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="platform-secret-screen" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OXa6_OS1kBI/VsSucvMicLI/AAAAAAAAMgA/GVTgQ5AILbk/platform-secret-screen_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="221"></a></p> <p>The secret screen is labeled “Platform Secret Screen” and the first screen shows you how your Roku us currently functioning (temperature, IP address, SSID, Channel, N, RSSI, SNR, remote MAC address, remote battery level, etc.). There are also options for System Operations Menu, Disable Travel Connect, WiFi Remote Menu, and WiFi secret screen. Unfortunately none of these let you change the four dedicated content provider buttons at the bottom of the remote, but the WiFi Secret Screen is extremely useful.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ctsycs7BRxI/VsSudM6QPhI/AAAAAAAAMgE/Agt2PM64I_I/s1600-h/wi-fi-secret-screen%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="wi-fi-secret-screen" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto; display: block" alt="wi-fi-secret-screen" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TARBlzeTyrw/VsSudflMiAI/AAAAAAAAMgI/vqYGtdzDg5o/wi-fi-secret-screen_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="225"></a></p> <p>On the WiFi Secret Screen there is a signal level meter for combined signal strength, antenna 1, antenna 2, and also a meter for glitch/sec. This allows you to move around your Roku to optimize your reception.</p> <p>This page also has Resets, Interference, Radios, and Power, so you can optimize your settings.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--KuHZlJ7ZTU/VsSzwAob1TI/AAAAAAAAMgY/NWA7uUNJC40/s1600-h/interference-mitigation%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="interference-mitigation" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto; display: block" alt="interference-mitigation" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZiheXkoOV9E/VsSzwZJa-kI/AAAAAAAAMgc/Xv-auGe6zeA/interference-mitigation_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="225"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RLid8MIb2MUuZJyleAGyCZn6W96PJaVsFgJcVlAdmqTpmYHe66iXjiorlekw-YoRglkam84Y69m8nSSwBUtUeZS5heeeZrJ9dsXbTPlZ1FlqDzoNh76m1RAFjaMnu4ahyphenhyphenUaz6VuX7JK1/s1600-h/system-operations-menu%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="system-operations-menu" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto; display: block" alt="system-operations-menu" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Vt1uXIOVHZI/VsSzw8i5GtI/AAAAAAAAMgk/ebwu4dSrKhE/system-operations-menu_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="225"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pVBUYl7ap_U/VsSzxZkmdhI/AAAAAAAAMgo/tGJPlzCtcec/s1600-h/wifi-power-level%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="wifi-power-level" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto; display: block" alt="wifi-power-level" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jS_brv4vyds/VsSzxmkaEFI/AAAAAAAAMgs/3VUn-EsDYKA/wifi-power-level_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="225"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--AcSlTb95zs/VsSzx55wQfI/AAAAAAAAMgw/TXI5hdEyOHY/s1600-h/wifi-radio-controls%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="wifi-radio-controls" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto; display: block" alt="wifi-radio-controls" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RQbq4H6EYns/VsSzydlabOI/AAAAAAAAMg0/qNc6RStkogQ/wifi-radio-controls_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="225"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P5xyDQxmidw/VsSzyqmGm7I/AAAAAAAAMg4/zGAB9U5dv9g/s1600-h/wi-fi-remote-menu%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="wi-fi-remote-menu" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto; display: block" alt="wi-fi-remote-menu" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AX__8lkF_-0/VsSzy0ZIb8I/AAAAAAAAMg8/AYp2huvbs-U/wi-fi-remote-menu_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="225"></a></p> <p>Setting my radios at TX 1 RX 1 kept my signal strength consistently at 22/23 (other settings were around 16-18 and fluctuated a lot more). After trying different interference settings, I found “reduce non-WLAN interference” to be my best option.</p> <p>Obviously your settings will depend upon your specific situation.</p> <p>p.s. If after getting things where you want them with your wifi reception you want to check the <em>signal speed</em> of what’s coming into your Roku, Vudu (a free channel with purchasing options for content) has a speed test under “info and settings.”</p> <p>…</p> <p>Props:</p> <p>When searching for a solution to my Roku drop-out woes, I found most of this information on Richard Loyd’s YouTube channel here: <a title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1GZO8e_KJo" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1GZO8e_KJo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1GZO8e_KJo</a></p> <p>The updated secret screen shown above is actually a lot more robust (there are more options, settings, and measurements) than the one Richard posted in his video from August 24, 2014. This leads me to believe that Roku will be supporting and updating this feature into the future.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-74UGeLTuRV8/V09-clkKY5I/AAAAAAAAMms/b7H4gH32hiQ/s1600-h/gqiwsuivaxuta2cspi3x%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="gqiwsuivaxuta2cspi3x" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="gqiwsuivaxuta2cspi3x" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/---cMY4_RcXM/V09-dIuBkxI/AAAAAAAAMmw/-nyI9Cwa1CU/gqiwsuivaxuta2cspi3x_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="215" height="768"></a></p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954164004088523382.post-60005528607237921142016-01-06T12:42:00.001-07:002016-08-29T10:50:09.072-06:00How to Defrost a Samsung Ice Maker<p><span class="update">[UPDATE 8-29-16]:</span> The solution, sent out to all Samsung service Techs in a bulletin, is in the new post on this subject <a href="http://danbeahm.blogspot.com/2016/08/fixing-samsung-ice-maker.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p>If you have a Samsung refrigerator with the SZAB001TA1 ice maker, you have a problem.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t_cnB7MFEkk/Vo1uPOY5zqI/AAAAAAAAMc0/cDEGVU6FLag/s1600-h/RF263BEAEWW%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="RF263BEAEWW" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline" alt="RF263BEAEWW" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-puOUSMLiq1E/Vo1uPfDEbDI/AAAAAAAAMc4/U0oTGxgqsg0/RF263BEAEWW_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" align="left" height="240"></a>We recently purchased a French door refrigerator by Samsung (RF263BEAEWW) from Best Buy (heavily discounted as scratch and dent, $1,200 instead of $2,300… plus all the extra money for the extended warranty, etc.). As usual, I researched this major purchase for weeks, and drove around to just about every major appliance store and outlet in Denver to see what I could find on scratch-and-dent-deep-discount.</p> <p>While this fridge was the best rated fridge available (currently there seems to be a dearth of decent refrigerators on the market), it’s still had it’s issues, especially in regard to the compressor being astoundingly loud for a new refrigerator. The biggest problem we’ve encountered so far is that it started making a “churning” or “chugging” noise and I quickly realized it was the fill pump for the ice maker. The defrost was not working correctly and an ice dam was blocking the fill flow, thus the pump just kept trying to pump in water without ever quitting. Not only was the noise extremely annoying, but it was going to destroy the pump if left to continue.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3tDeH08Ja6QRTb20PxaJskibMn_q4v90KEQdiK8ML8fUgy8nTZnR6OWn_Z06jBkzMOIjHBksR9XNuYlD0xOgfAD_5Z-80k1yS-AIaRsvwn2bEdSN9-TumlGLFdGBbOv1__Fi7CL-Frgi/s1600-h/Samsung%252520Ice%252520Maker%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Samsung Ice Maker" style="float: right; display: inline" alt="Samsung Ice Maker" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2uTXLF5ZnTw/Vo1uQPRXftI/AAAAAAAAMdE/4Qz_7cyWU04/Samsung%252520Ice%252520Maker_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" align="right" height="180"></a>Evidently the ice makers in these units are HORRIBLE, and the circuit board that controls them is also awful (and fails if you look at it wrong).</p> <p>Calling Best Buy gets you nowhere, as they will only direct you to the manufacturer if the appliance is still under manufacturer’s warranty. Trying to get someone to come check out an appliance via Samsung will make you feel like you live in cold war Russia (trying to talk to the right person, trying to get someone to come to your house, getting scheduled for a visit more than a month out, etc.).</p> <p>Rather than wait for someone to come fix it while putting up with the awful noise and having the pump fail completely while we waited, I ended up doing it myself, and that started with figuring out how to defrost the ice maker without having to turn off the fridge (and thus empty all the contents).</p> <p>Here are the steps:</p> <ol> <li>On the front panel display, press the <strong>Energy Saver</strong> and <strong>Refrigerator</strong> buttons at the same time for 8 seconds. The display will switch to the Test Mode and the display (all buttons, etc.) will go dark. <li>Press any button within 15 seconds after the display goes dark to scroll through the Test Modes as follows: <ul> <li>Manual operation 1 (FF) <li>Manual operation 2 (0F-r) <li>Manual defrost of fresh food compartments (rd) <li>Manual defrost of fresh food and freezer compartments (fd) <li>Cancel (display goes completely dark)</li></ul></li></ol> <p>“fd” is the one you want. The defrost mode will beep while in effect (pretty annoying) and will shut off after five minutes (I had to do it quite a few times to thaw everything out).</p> <p>Once the majority of the stuck-to-the-unit ice was thawed, I used a screw driver to carefully dislodge all the ice, then completed melted any chunks I couldn’t remove by hand with a hair dryer. Finally I blew out the ice maker with an air compressor to remove any remaining droplets/moisture so it wouldn’t build up ice crystals once the unit was back on.</p> <p>I’m not happy about this issue, and I really hope it doesn’t continue to happen, as returning a refrigerator is going to be a major pain (all the doors and drawers had to be removed to fit through the front door and kitchen door, not to mention the hassle of scheduling the process and storing food in the interim).</p> <p>…</p> <p><span class="update">UPDATE 1-11-16:</span> The ice maker is more of a problem than I had originally anticipated –more specifically, the way the ice maker is unable to defrost/thaw in an efficient manner). There is a fairly permanent puddle in the bottom of the refrigerator, and often there is so much water it pours out of the front and onto the floor (and also into the bottom freezer, creating giant chunks of ice and icicles). In fact, the water coming from the ice maker has ruined our floor (woke up one morning with a giant puddle on the floor that warped the floating cork, and I’m sure there is now mold under the flooring).</p> <p>Here are some photos of the madness:</p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="425" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="141" align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v2EN9JIXrLw/VpP2K4JilsI/AAAAAAAAMdc/XeER0a4NuT4/s1600-h/20151206_193421%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="Samsung Ice Maker Issues" style="display: inline" alt="Samsung Ice Maker Issues" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rWgP1Xd4Lmc/VpP2LXi9yII/AAAAAAAAMdg/rBQvBxZYDfc/20151206_193421_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="135" height="240"></a></td> <td valign="top" width="141" align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QJ8d2jZnf6I/VpP2Lnx-9aI/AAAAAAAAMdo/yruq8VYjBAA/s1600-h/20151206_193432%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20151206_193432" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="20151206_193432" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WWzW5N4SDmg/VpP2MROpxZI/AAAAAAAAMdw/0_bql7XQLfs/20151206_193432_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="135" height="240"></a></td> <td valign="top" width="141" align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_OKiawX73qY/VpP2MuTipUI/AAAAAAAAMd4/ATgDbak8sW8/s1600-h/20151207_152032%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20151207_152032" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="20151207_152032" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cJLfL6PSshI/VpP2NLDz0zI/AAAAAAAAMeA/2RXTLaRcYGg/20151207_152032_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="135" height="240"></a></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="141"> </td> <td width="141" align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ELXPkYLeF7c/VpP2NZjR9XI/AAAAAAAAMeI/4VfcTMJcsLA/s1600-h/20151206_193441%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20151206_193441" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="20151206_193441" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oPnmp606l8s/VpP2N_6EY0I/AAAAAAAAMeQ/QnNKK7GbfWE/20151206_193441_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="135" height="240"></a></td> <td valign="top" width="141"> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p>…</p> <p><span class="update">UPDATE 1-17-16:</span> The Samsung Ice Maker has failed again. The genius who designed it decided that the defrost cycle, which happens on a regular basis, should drain directly into… the bottom of the ice maker housing. Thus, this next time our ice maker failed (again, pouring water all over the floor and further damaging the cork flooring), the ice tray also froze completely shut, meaning I couldn’t get the ice maker drawer out without first thawing the ice maker (which meant the thawing ice had nowhere to go except all over the place). There was nearly a full 1/2” solid sheet of ice holding the ice drawer to the bottom of the ice maker housing. I spent around 2 hours fixing the problem tonight, and I have a feeling this is only going to get worse. I really don’t want this refrigerator anymore.</p>The Invisiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816261262627369350noreply@blogger.com219