My Cheap 4K TV Died

During the Pandemic I bought a new Mac computer and then paired it with a very inexpensive 4K television that I purchased from Walmart. Today that monitor died suddenly. One moment I was typing away and then the whole screen went blank. I tried turning it on and off again with no luck. I even let it sit for awhile but it truly died.

I can't say the death of my TV/Monitor came unexpectedly as it showed signs that end approached. A few days ago I noticed flickering in the middle-left of the screen. It only happened when the monitor had been off for awhile and then I turned it back on. Once the TV seemed to warm up, the flickering went away. That warned me it would soon bite the dust so I started looking at local deals for the best TVs.

My last TV/Monitor came from Walmart and so I started there at Walmart.com.  I didn't see any good deals and so I headed to my usual Internet search engine and quite a few options in the $150 range from Best Buy showed up. My local Walmart is right next to Best Buy and so I figured I would start at Best Buy should I need to rush out and purchase something. That is where I headed today when I got the black-screen of death.

I have to say that I didn't have any problem finding a parking spot as it seemed relatively empty on a Thursday evening. I pulled up near the front and walked right in. I quickly found the TV isle as it takes up about a quarter of the store. It took a few seconds for the salesperson to find me and ask if he could help. I told him I needed a 4K TV at 43-inches. He explained they don't make them that small. I told him they did and I had seen it online. Then he said that I would probably return it in 2 weeks because I would blow out the speakers. I explained I only needed it for a computer monitor and didn't care about sound.

Best Buy had several TV's that met my criteria and I could choose from a number of them. Ultimately I decided to go with Insignia even though the salesperson tried to up sell me a Sony or Samsung. I told him I work for Sony and get a really good deal on them but don't want to spend that much for a computer monitor. That brought up a whole other conversation I did my best to ignore. The guy had to get a forklift to grab my potential new purchase from the top shelf and so I helped him by moving a few boxes of other TV's out of the way. Once I had it, I headed to the checkout and paid for it.

I got home and unboxed the new TV so I could set it up and finish the work I started before my old screen died. I plugged everything in and had to go through a rather advanced setup as it is also a SmartTV. I really just wanted to get back to my work. Eventually the setup finished and I could see my old work. I almost brought the TV right back to the store because it looked awful. The text did not look crisp and I thought I the resolution got screwed up. I fiddled with settings on the computer but didn't have any luck.

Next I tried the settings on the TV. This is an important piece of information: Insignia televisions have a number of different picture modes:

• Standard
• Movie
• Dynamic
• Natural
• Game
• PC
• Custom

I started trying all of them to see which one looked the best. As you might guess, everything came into focus the moment I tried "PC." I would even go so far to say that it is significantly better than my old Walmart TV.  I am very pleased with my purchase and hope it lasts 6 years like my last one did. After tax, the total purchase came to $161.15. I think that is a bargain!

Empty Until You Need to Go Somewhere

I live on a very quiet street that rarely sees much traffic as I am on a cul-de-sac. The only time that changes is when I go to pull out of my driveway. Then it feels like everyone on the street needs to be on the road at the same time. I'll wait patiently before leaving as that is the polite thing to do.

That is a metaphor for my work today and as of late. I will start my day with very little that I have to get done immediately. Then I will get several messages all at the same time asking for a seemingly tidbits of information. The only problem is that it takes a significant amount of work to get that information. This creates a need to understand priorities.

Fortunately I can set priority levels for most tasks at work. The exception is when my boss asks for something. Naturally I set his priority as higher than all others as he controls raises and bonuses. The tough part is how to stop what I am doing, take a request, and then go back to what I originally started doing. In computer terms we call that a context switch and humans are not very good at it. That is what makes us lousy multitaskers no matter what anyone tells you.

One thing that has helped is I keep a work notebook where I can write down requests. That allows me to quickly go back to my previous task. The only time that becomes a problem is when I don't write enough of the necessary details. The more I do it though, the better I get.

I'm not sure why tasks and traffic comes in spurts. Life would be so much simpler if everything spread itself out evenly. I guess figuring out how to deal with simultaneous requests is a part of life. College probably taught me that.  

QR Codes Not Working

Lately I have received a number of QR codes that don't work. Recently I replaced the faucet in my kitchen and the new one did not come with printed instructions. Instead it had a QR code that I needed to scan with my phone's camera, which supposedly took me to directions on how to install the faucet. For some reason I went to a blank page. Ultimately I did an Internet search and found the instructions I needed but it turned out to be significantly more complex than I have come to expect from QR codes.

I didn't think much of the problem until I pointed my phone at another QR code only to experience another blank page. I thought it weird to run into two different problems so close together. While not every QR code I have ever used has worked right, I think I have had a 99% success rate with them. That is why we have all come to generally trust them.

All a QR code does is encode a text string into a picture. It is similar to a bar code except they only encode a group of numbers. That makes QR codes very useful for storing website addresses or URLs.  They don't have to store URLs though. You can go to your favorite QR code generator and create a code that says, "You are a great person." It might be fun to print up a bunch of stickers with a QR code that says, "You park like and idiot," and put them on people's cars that take multiple spots in a crowded lot. I just tried it and caused my phone to freak out as it tried to look for a URL. Still, it is possible.

As with anything computer related, QR codes should be thoroughly tested before replacing printed instructions. Should you decide to go this route, make sure the URL is in working order before printing the code. Then you have the advantage of being able to change the instructions at a moment's notice should there be something that needs clarification. I just hope I don't run into any more examples of QR codes not working. 

 

Ski Equipment Weekend

Today starts the annual ski-equipment weekend. What does that mean? Every year we get together as a family and see what ski equipment from last year needs to be replaced. When my kids were young, this was critical as they grew every summer. Sometimes kids would need new boots or outfits. Other times they would need everything. Fortunately it is now just my wife and me so it is not nearly as expensive as it used to be.

Skis are only meant to last 100 days and I ski more than that every season. Last year had such bad snow that I never really used my new skis and so I don't think I need new ones this year. I will still look though as I am always looking for a great deal on skis. My boots are pretty good and so I will keep the ones I have.

My wife got new skis last year and so she doesn't need new ones either. She went through her equipment and only needs a new helmet and goggles. I got a new helmet at the end of last year and don't need a new one. I also have several pairs of goggles and am good there. I actually don't need anything. This could be a very inexpensive Labor Day.

So why to we pick this weekend to refresh our ski equipment? It is when the best sales are scheduled. The weather is starting to change and so ski shops put things on sale. A lot of time it is to get rid of any unsold stuff from last season. Interestingly the whole advent of online shopping has really changed the Labor-Day-Ski-Sale dynamics. Long gone are the days when the ski shops would erect a tent in the parking lot with all the extra ski stuff. I miss those days as there is something about being able to handle the equipment before dropping the equivalent of a house down payment. I also don't think the deals are nearly as good. They don't have to be as online shops can drop the price of last year's equipment all summer long and get rid of excess inventory. Furthermore ski equipment manufacturers have better inventory management and don't overproduce like they used to.

One benefit of all the online shopping is I don't have to go anywhere. We used to drive all over the Salt Lake Valley. Now we just sit in front of the computer and look at pictures. Hopefully the wonderful snowfall in the marketing photos match the conditions we will see in a few months. I don't think I can take another poor snow year. 

 

What to do With All Those Digital Pictures

Saturday we got a lot of rain at my home in Salt Lake. I kept waiting for the rain to stop and would then run out and do yard work. While inside, I worked on organizing all of the photos I took with my wife while visiting Disney World with one of my granddaughters a few weeks ago. This sparked me to create this posting should you be wondering what to do with all of those digital photographs you have taking up space on your phone or computer.

The first grandchild trip to Disney was sort of on a whim. I wanted to go to Disneyland for my birthday and wanted my oldest grandson to come along. He happened to be 5 years old which is the perfect age for a Disney trip. I found a great deal staying at the Grand Californian, booked reservations, booked flights, bought park tickets, and headed to Anaheim 2 weeks later. I think we only took about 15 photos of the whole trip as we focused on having fun and not trying to capture the perfect moment. We also decided to do a similar trip whenever any of our grandkids turned the magic age of 5.

The second trip required a bit more planning as we had to pick up or oldest granddaughter in Ohio. We also booked accommodations in the Marriott vacation club in Orlando which is near Disney World and not Disneyland. When we checked in, the concierge sat us down and gave us a welcome basket full of a bunch of freebies. One happened to be a coupon for a photo book from Shutterfly. We knew we would redeem the free gift and made sure to take lots of pictures. Then at the end of the trip, my wife and I sat down to create the ultimate memory book. We uploaded the best pictures of the trip and filled 20 pages. Several weeks later, it appeared in the mail. I have to say it turned out awesome.

My grandson saw the nice book and I'm sure felt like he needed one too. My wife and I gathered up all 15 photos from his trip and supplemented the content with generic Disneyland pictures. Even then it still came out looking like an afterthought. We learned our lesson for the next time. So did the rest of the family. Whenever any grandkids come over they head straight to the picture books and relive the fun they had with Grandma and Grandpa.

The idea of photo books has caught on to the rest of the family. My youngest son's wife has gone so far as to create a photo book for each year. After January 1st, they pick the highlights from each month of the previous year and add them to a book. They don't worry how many pages they fill as you have the option to add more. They are also sure to include text under the pictures describing why it is important along with any stories to add flavor about the event. My daughter-in-law has even gone to previous years and created books all the way back to when they first got married.

So what should you do with all of those digital pictures taking up space on your devices? My advice is to pick the best ones and immortalize them in a photo book. There are lots of sources where you can have them made. I mentioned Shutterfly where we have had several printed. Our new favorite place is Walgreens as it can be printed and ready to pick up in an hour so you don't have to pay for shipping. It doesn't matter who you choose though as they all seem to have regular coupons putting the cost of a 20-page book in the $10 to $20 range. 

Once you have your photo books printed, I would leave them out for visitors to see and perhaps ask about. Not everyone wants to see your vacation photos but some will. Most importantly I would keep those books close to help you remember happy times on a rainy or sad day. It might just be what you need to lift your spirits.

Anecdotal vs. Statistical Evidence

This morning I went out for my usual morning bicycle ride. I love being out on my bike as it reminds me of the freedom I felt as a kid. Unfortunately not everyone shares in my excitement and I had a number of cars get way to close for comfort. I'm not sure how long I will be able to keep up the daily rides. Getting run off the road by inattentive drivers is never fun and has a tendency to shorten one's lifespan.

Utah law states that drivers cannot be any closer than 3 feet to cyclists on the street. Furthermore cyclists with wheels of a certain size are not allowed on sidewalks and are required to ride in the road. You'd be amazed at how many times I have had motorists tell me to ride on the sidewalk. Unfortunately it is illegal.

Today I had 3 different motorists see how close they could get to me on my bike. When I can feel the car with my elbow hairs, I think it is well inside that 3-foot limit cars are supposed to provide. Here is where statistics come to play in the story: Every single one of the cars that got too close had a University of Utah license plate. Ask me how I feel about the University of Utah right now.

Fortunately I spend my days working with data and know the difference between anecdotal and statistical evidence. Not everyone from the University of Utah is out to kill cyclists or scare the pants off them. The very small sample size of today's clueless drivers just happens to pull from a lot of University of Utah fans. I'm sure if I had been riding my bicycle a little further to the south and nearer to Brigham Young University, the license plates could easily have promoted that school.

The important thing to remember is that you experience with an easily identifiable group of people does not represent everyone in that group. Nowadays it is much too easy to apply labels and exclude large groups of people because of an unsavory experience with only a few members of that group. Knowing that doesn't make it easy to forgive them though. 

Why Kids Seem Technologically Gifted

Last week I had the pleasure of spending an entire week with my soon-to-be 5-year-old granddaughter at Disney World. When any of my grandkids turn 5, my wife and I take them to Disney with just the two of us. No parents. No siblings. She is the 4th to have such a trip and we had a wonderful time.

As my granddaughter lives in Ohio, I had to get on a plane, fly out to Ohio, pick her up, and fly to Orlando where we met my wife. In case you are interested, the whole trip involved 8 flights for me and 4 for my granddaughter. My wife had an easy trip with non-stops between Salt Lake and Orlando for a total of 2 flights. She gets the arduous journey the next time.

While doing all that flying, my granddaughter enlightened me with her technical skills. She is only 4 but will be 5 in September. Our first flight together started on tiny regional jet known as a CRJ. It didn't have any screens to keep us entertained and so I pulled out my Kindle Fire, connected to the plane's WiFi, logged into Netflix as a "Kid," and gave it to my co-traveler. I assumed she would watch one of the cartoons I started for her. It didn't take long for her to grow tired of the show I picked out and she told me she wanted to watch "Alphabet." I had no idea what that meant. Several minutes later I leaned over and saw that she had stopped the cartoon and started watching "Wicked for Good." It hit me that Alphabet is how she remembered the Elphaba character from the popular musical.

I didn't have to show my granddaughter how to change videos nor how to find what she wanted to watch. She had no problem stumbling around Netflix's UI and finding what she wanted to watch. Later I saw her rewinding the video for favorite songs or fast forwarding over scary parts.

After watching my granddaughter I realized that she has no problem jumping into new technology and figuring out how to use it. She builds on past experiences and if she doesn't know how to do something, she just tries it. I compared that to how I look at new things and feel like I don't want to make mistakes and am much more afraid to try something. Little kids don't worry about it. If something goes wrong, they hand the screen back to an adult and say, "It broke," leaving you to solve the problem they created.

While I cannot adopt the attitude that someone else will always be there to fix my mistakes, I can show a little more courage and not be afraid to just try stuff. This is especially true on a streaming platform. There is very little you can do to dig yourself into a hole. About the worst thing you can do is log yourself out of the service and Netflix makes that nearly impossible. I really had to go searching around for that when it came time to check out of our accommodations. Borrowing from my granddaughter's fearlessness of just trying things, I figured it out and now guests visiting my condo in Orlando can't log in as me.